Numbers 25 – Verses from Numbers 25 from the book of Numbers in the Bible.

¹ While Israel was in Shittim, the people began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,

² who invited them to sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and prostrated themselves before these gods.

³ Thus Israel joined in the worship of Baal-peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

⁴ And the Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders of this people and hang them before the Lord in the sunlight, so that the fire of the Lord’s anger may turn away from Israel.”

⁵ Then Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill those among your men who have joined the worship of Baal-peor.”

⁶ An Israelite brought home a Midianite woman, in the presence of Moses and the entire community of Israel, who were crying at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁷ When Phinehas, son of Eleazar, grandson of Aaron the priest, saw this, he picked up a spear,

⁸ He followed the Israelite into the tent and pierced them both with his spear; passed through the body of the Israelite and that of the woman. Then the plague against the Israelites stopped.

⁹ But those who died because of the plague were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses:

¹¹ “Phinehas, son of Eleazar, grandson of Aaron the priest, turned my wrath away from the Israelites, for he was zealous, with the same zeal that I have for them, so that in my zeal I would not consume them.

¹² Tell him therefore that I establish my covenant of peace with him.

¹³ His and his descendants will be the covenant of the perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

¹⁴ The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri, son of Salu, leader of a Simeonite family.

¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who died was Coshbi, daughter of Zur, head of a Midianite clan.

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses:

¹⁷ “Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them,

¹⁸ because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the case of Peor and Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, a woman of their people who was killed when the plague I sent because of Peor.”