1 Enquanto estava acampado em Sitim, os homens de Israel começaram a manter relações sexuais com mulheres moabitas da região. 2 Essas mulheres os convidaram para os sacrifícios a seus deuses, e o povo participou da festa e adorou os deuses de Moabe. 3 Assim, os israelitas prestaram culto a Baal em Peor, e a ira do Senhor se acendeu contra o povo.

4 O Senhor disse a Moisés: "Prenda todos os chefes do povo e execute-os diante do Senhor em plena luz do dia, para que sua ira ardente se afaste de Israel".

5 Então Moisés ordenou aos juízes de Israel: "Cada um de vocês executará os homens sob sua autoridade que participaram do culto a Baal em Peor".

6 Nesse momento, enquanto todos choravam à entrada da tenda do encontro, um israelita levou para dentro de sua tenda uma mulher midianita, diante dos olhos de Moisés e de toda a comunidade de Israel. 7 Quando Fineias, filho de Eleazar e neto do sacerdote Arão, viu isso, levantou-se e saiu do meio do povo. Pegou uma lança, 8 correu atrás do homem até o interior de sua tenda e atravessou o corpo do homem e da mulher, na altura do estômago, com um só golpe. Então a praga contra os israelitas cessou. 9 A essa altura, porém, 24 mil pessoas já haviam morrido.

10 Então o Senhor disse a Moisés: 11 "Fineias, filho de Eleazar e neto do sacerdote Arão, afastou minha ira dos israelitas ao demonstrar tamanho zelo por mim no meio deles, evitando que eu destruísse os israelitas na ira do meu zelo. 12 Agora, diga-lhe que faço com ele minha aliança especial de paz. 13 Por meio dessa aliança, dou a Fineias e a seus descendentes direito permanente ao serviço sacerdotal, pois em seu zelo por mim, seu Deus, ele fez expiação pelo povo de Israel".

14 O homem israelita morto com a mulher midianita se chamava Zinri, filho de Salu, chefe de uma das famílias da tribo de Simeão. 15 A mulher se chamava Cosbi e era filha de Zur, chefe de um clã midianita.

16 O Senhor disse a Moisés: 17 "Ataque os midianitas e destrua-os, 18 porque eles atacaram vocês, enganando-os no incidente em Peor, e também por causa de Cosbi, filha do chefe midianita, que foi morta durante a praga causada no incidente em Peor".

1 Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab; 2 for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel. 4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel."

5 Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor."

6 Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. 8 He went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. 9 Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. 13 It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’"

14 Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midian.

16 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17 "Harass the Midianites, and strike them; 18 for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor."