UST NUM Chapter 25

◄ NUM 25 ► ║ ═ ©

25 Now the Israelites were living in an area that people called Shittim. While they were there, some of the Israelite men began having sex with Moabite women. 2 Those women invited the Israelites to attend feasts where they offered sacrifices to their gods. The Israelites ate some of the food and worshiped the gods. 3 In this way, the Israelites associated themselves with the god Baal whom people worshiped at the town of Peor. So Yahweh was angry with the Israelites.

4 So Yahweh told Moses, “Seize the people who lead the Israelites. Execute them and display their bodies publicly before me. That way, I will stop being very angry with the Israelites.”

5 So Moses told the people who settled disputes among the Israelites, “Consider the people you are responsible for. Each of you must execute any of them who have associated themselves with the god Baal whom people worship at the town of Peor.”

6 Now the whole Israelite community was mourning at the entrance to the sacred tent. Just then, an Israelite man arrived with a Midianite woman. He introduced her to his relatives while Moses and the rest of the Israelites watched. 7 Now Aaron had a son whose name was Eleazar. Eleazar had a son whose name was Phinehas, who was a priest. Phinehas also watched what happened with the Midianite woman. He left the Israelite community and picked up a spear. 8 He followed the Israelite man to a special tent. There, he thrust the spear through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach, killing them both. Then, the Israelites stopped getting sick with the terrible disease that had made many of them sick. 9 However, 24,000 people had already died from the terrible disease.

10 Then Yahweh told Moses, 11 “Aaron’s grandson, Eleazar’s son, Phinehas, the priest, wanted the Israelites to worship only me as strongly as I want the Israelites to worship only me. So, I am not angry with the Israelites any longer. Otherwise, I would have killed all of them because I want them to worship only me. 12 So, proclaim that I am making an agreement with Phinehas to make things go well for him. 13 The agreement means that he and his descendants will always be priests. I am making this agreement because Phinehas wanted the Israelites to worship only me, the God he worships. When he acted, I accepted what he did and removed what the Israelites had done wrong.”

14 The name of the Israelite man whom Phinehas killed along with the Midianite woman was Zimri. He was Salu’s son. He led one of the ancestral families that made up the Simeon tribe. 15 The name of the Midianite woman whom Phinehas killed was Kozbi. She was Zur’s daughter. Zur led one of the ancestral families that made up Midian.

16 Then Yahweh told Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and kill them. 18 You must do that because they have acted against you by tricking you. They did that when they convinced the Israelites to worship the god Baal whom people worship at Peor. They also did when Kozbi visited the Israelite campsite. Her father led the Midianites, and she was one of their people. Phinehas killed her. That was when the Israelites were getting sick with a terrible disease when they worshiped the god Baal whom people worship at Peor.”

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