| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. | 1While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. |
| 2These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. | 2These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. |
| 3So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. | 3In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. |
| 4And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” | 4The LORD issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.” |
| 5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” | 5So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.” |
| 6And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. | 6Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. |
| 7When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand | 7When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear |
| 8and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. | 8and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, |
| 9Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. | 9but not before 24,000 people had died. |
| 10And the LORD said to Moses, | 10Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. | 11“Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest has turned my anger away from the Israelites by being as zealous among them as I was. So I stopped destroying all Israel as I had intended to do in my zealous anger. |
| 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, | 12Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him. |
| 13and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’” | 13In this covenant, I give him and his descendants a permanent right to the priesthood, for in his zeal for me, his God, he purified the people of Israel, making them right with me. ” |
| 14The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. | 14The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon. |
| 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian. | 15The woman’s name was Cozbi; she was the daughter of Zur, the leader of a Midianite clan. |
| 16And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 16Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 17“Harass the Midianites and strike them down, | 17“Attack the Midianites and destroy them, |
| 18for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.” | 18because they assaulted you with deceit and tricked you into worshiping Baal of Peor, and because of Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed at the time of the plague because of what happened at Peor.” |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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