Numbers 25

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

1Israel camped at a place called Shittim. The men there began sleeping with women from Moab.

2And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

2Those women asked the men to come to feasts for their gods. The men ate the food and bowed down to those gods.

3And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

3So Israel began worshiping a god called Baal of Peor. This made the LORD very angry with Israel.

4And 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.

4The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people. Put them to death out in the open, in daylight, before me. Then my burning anger will turn away from Israel."

Note"Hang them up before the LORD against the sun" is old English. It means putting them to death out in the open, in broad daylight, where everyone can see.

5And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

5So Moses told the judges of Israel, "Each of you must put to death your own men who worshiped Baal of Peor."

6And, 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.

6Then an Israelite man brought a woman from Midian home to his family. He did it right in front of Moses and all the people. They were crying at the door of the Tent of Meeting, where God met with them.

NoteThe KJV calls it "the tabernacle of the congregation." It was a large tent where the people met with God. Today it is usually called the Tent of Meeting.

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;

7Phinehas saw this. He was the son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron the priest. He got up from the crowd and took a spear 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 was stayed from the children of Israel.

8He followed the Israelite man into the tent. He drove the spear through them both, through the man and through the woman's stomach. Then the sickness that was killing the people stopped.

9And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

9But twenty-four thousand people had already died from that sickness.

10And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

10Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said,

11Phinehas, 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.

11"Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from Israel. He stood up for me among the people. So I did not destroy the people of Israel in my anger.

12Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

12So tell him this: I am making a promise of peace with him.

13And 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.

13This promise is for him and for his children after him. It says his family will always be priests, the men who serve God for the people. I give it because he stood up for his God. He made things right again between the people and me."

14Now 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.

14The Israelite man who was killed was named Zimri, the son of Salu. He was a leader of one of the main families in the tribe of Simeon.

15And 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.

15The Midianite woman who was killed was named Cozbi. Her father was Zur, who led a people and a main family in Midian.

16And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

16Then the LORD spoke to Moses again. He said,

17Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

17"Treat the Midianites as your enemies. Attack them.

Note"Vex" in 1611 English did not mean to annoy. It meant to attack or treat someone as an enemy. "Wiles" and "beguiled" in verse 18 mean tricks and tricked.

18For 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.

18They treated you as enemies first. They tricked you with what happened at Peor. They also tricked you through Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was one of their own people, and she was killed on the day the sickness came because of Peor."