Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab: 2for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. 3Israel joined himself to Baal Peor: and the anger of Allah was kindled against Israel.
4Allah said to Musa, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Allah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Allah may turn away from Israel.
5Musa said to the judges of Israel, Everyone of you will kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.
6Behold, one of Bani-Israel came and brought to his brothers a Madyani woman in the sight of Musa, and in the sight of all the congregation of Bani-Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting. 7When Phinehas Ibn Eleazar, Ibn Harun, the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand; 8and 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 stayed from Bani-Israel. 9Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10Allah spoke to Musa, saying, 11Phinehas Ibn Eleazar, Ibn Harun, the priest, has turned my wrath away from Bani-Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume Bani-Israel in my jealousy. 12Therefore say, Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace: 13and it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for Bani-Israel.
14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Madyani woman, was Zimri Ibn Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites. 15The name of the Madyani woman who was slain was Cozbi Bint Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Madyan.
16Allah spoke to Musa, saying, 17Vex the Madyanis, and strike them; 18for they vex you with their wiles, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Madyan, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.