1 Enquanto Israel estava em Sitim, o povo começou a entregar-se à imoralidade sexual com mulheres moabitas,

2 que os convidavam aos sacrifícios de seus deuses. O povo comia e se prostrava perante esses deuses.

3 Assim Israel se juntou à adoração de Baal-Peor. E a ira do Senhor acendeu-se contra Israel.

4 E o Senhor disse a Moisés: "Prenda todos os chefes desse povo, enforque-os diante do Senhor, à luz do sol, para que o fogo da ira do Senhor se afaste de Israel".

5 Então Moisés disse aos juízes de Israel: "Cada um de vocês terá que matar aqueles que dentre os seus homens se juntaram à adoração de Baal-Peor".

6 Um israelita trouxe para casa uma mulher midianita, na presença de Moisés e de toda a comunidade de Israel, que choravam à entrada da Tenda do Encontro.

7 Quando Finéias, filho de Eleazar, neto do sacerdote Arão, viu isso, apanhou uma lança,

8 seguiu o israelita até o interior da tenda e atravessou os dois com a lança; atravessou o corpo do israelita e o da mulher. Então cessou a praga contra os israelitas.

9 Mas os que morreram por causa da praga foram vinte e quatro mil.

10 E o Senhor disse a Moisés:

11 "Finéias, filho de Eleazar, neto do sacerdote Arão, desviou a minha ira de sobre os israelitas, pois foi zeloso, com o mesmo zelo que tenho por eles, para que em meu zelo eu não os consumisse.

12 Diga-lhe, pois, que estabeleço com ele a minha aliança de paz.

13 Dele e dos seus descendentes será a aliança do sacerdócio perpétuo, porque ele foi zeloso pelo seu Deus e fez propiciação pelos israelitas".

14 O nome do israelita que foi morto com a midianita era Zinri, filho de Salu, líder de uma família simeonita.

15 E o nome da mulher midianita que morreu era Cosbi, filha de Zur, chefe de um clã midianita.

16 O Senhor disse a Moisés:

17 "Tratem os midianitas como inimigos e matem-nos,

18 porque trataram vocês como inimigos quando os enganaram no caso de Peor e de Cosbi, filha de um líder midianita, mulher do povo deles que foi morta quando a praga que enviei por causa de Peor".

1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor.

6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 And 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; 8 And 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 was stayed from the children of Israel. 9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. 14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. 15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them: 18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor’s sake.