| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. | 1While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. |
| 2They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. | 2The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. |
| 3So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel. | 3So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel. |
| 4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the LORD, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” | 4The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD so that His burning anger may turn away from Israel." |
| 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.” | 5So Moses told Israel's judges, "Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with Baal of Peor." |
| 6And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. | 6An Israelite man came bringing a Midianite woman to his relatives in the sight of Moses and the whole Israelite community while they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. |
| 7Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; | 7When Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, 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 body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. | 8followed the Israelite man into the tent, and drove it through both the Israelite man and the woman--through her belly. Then the plague on the Israelites was stopped, |
| 9And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand. | 9but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000. |
| 10Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 10The LORD spoke to Moses, " |
| 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. | 11Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with My zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in My zeal. |
| 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; | 12Therefore declare: I grant him My covenant of peace. |
| 13and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ” | 13It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites." |
| 14Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. | 14The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite ancestral house. |
| 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian. | 15The name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal head of an ancestral house in Midian. |
| 16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 16The LORD told Moses: " |
| 17“Harass the Midianites, and attack them; | 17Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. |
| 18for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.” | 18For they attacked you with the treachery that they used against you in the Peor incident. They did the same in the case involving their sister Cozbi, daughter of the Midianite leader who was killed the day the plague came at Peor." |
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