While Israel was staying in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab.

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

The women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

Israel yoked itself to Baal of Peor, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel.

And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

The LORD said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the LORD's fierce anger may turn away from Israel.'

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.

So Moses said to the judges of Israel, 'Each of you must kill those of your men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.'

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

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.

When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he rose from among the assembly, took a spear in his hand,

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;

followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove the spear through both of them—the Israelite man and the woman—into her belly. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped.

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.

But those who died in the plague numbered twenty-four thousand.

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

The LORD said to Moses,

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

'Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites by being as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal.'

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.

Therefore tell him, 'I am giving him my covenant of peace.'

Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

'It will be a covenant of an everlasting priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.'

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.

The name of the Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a Simeonite family.

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.

And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a family in Midian.

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.

The LORD said to Moses,

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

‘Treat the Midianites as enemies and strike them down.

Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

For they treated you as enemies with their deceit, which they used to lure you away to worship Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, their kinswoman, who was killed on the day of the plague that struck because of Peor.’

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.

After the plague had ended, it happened.