1And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to fornicate with the daughters of Moab, 2who called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the princes of the people and disjoint them before the LORD [hanging them from a tree] against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5Then Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. 6Then, behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the testimony. 7And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw [it], he rose up from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; 8and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague of the sons of Israel was stayed. 9And those that died in that plague were twenty-four thousand. 10Then the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 11Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the sons of Israel, being zealous for my sake among them, therefore I did not consume the sons of Israel in my jealousy. 12Because of this say [unto them], Behold, I establish my covenant of peace with him; 13and he shall have, and his seed after him, [even] the covenant of the everlasting priesthood because he was zealous for his God and reconciled the sons of Israel. 14Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, [even] that was slain with the Midianite, [was] Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a family of the tribe of Simeon. 15And the name of the Midianite woman that was slain [was] Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, prince of peoples, [of the] house of [the] father, in Midian. 16And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 17Declare war on the Midianites and smite them; 18for they treated you as enemies with their wiles, with which they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.: