The Zeal of Phinehas

6 Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 followed the Israelite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and on through the belly of the woman.

So the plague against the Israelites was halted, 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal. 12 Declare, therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of peace. 13 It will be a covenant of permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

14 The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. 15 And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

16 And the LORD said to Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. 18 For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”