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The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 25 -

(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
1
Now Israel, at that time, dwelt in Shittim, and the people were fornicating with the daughters of Moab,
2
who called them to their sacrifices. And they ate, and they adored their gods.
3
And Israel was initiated into Baal of Peor. And so the Lord, being angry,(a)
4
said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, and hang them on gallows against the sun, so that my fury may be averted from Israel.”
5
And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Let each one kill his neighbors, who have been initiated into Baal of Peor.”(b)

The Zeal of Phinehas

6
And behold, one of the sons of Israel entered, in the sight of his brothers, to a prostitute of Midian, within view of Moses and of all the crowd of the sons of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.
7
And when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, had seen it, he rose up from the midst of the multitude, and, seizing a dagger,
8
he entered after the Israelite man, into the brothel, and he pierced both of them at the same time, specifically, the man and the woman at the location of their genitals. And the scourge ceased from among the sons of Israel.
9
And there were slain twenty-four thousand men.
10
And the Lord said to Moses:
11
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has averted my wrath from the sons of Israel. For he was moved against them by my zeal, so that I myself, in my zeal, might not wipe away the sons of Israel.
12
Because of this, say to him: Behold, I give to him the peace of my covenant.
13
And the covenant of the everlasting priesthood shall be as much for him as for his offspring. For he was zealous on behalf of his God, and he has made expiation for the wickedness of the sons of Israel.”
14
Now the name of the Israelite man, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader from the kinship and tribe of Simeon.
15
Moreover, the Midianite woman, who was put to death together with him, was called Cozbi the daughter of Zur, a most noble leader among the Midianites.
16
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
17
“Let the Midianites perceive you as enemies, and strike them down,
18
for they, too, have behaved with hostility against you, and they have deceived you insidiously by means of the idol Peor, and by Cozbi, the daughter of a commander of Midian, their sister, who was struck down in the day of the scourge because of the sacrilege of Peor.”

Footnotes

(a)25:3 Initiated to Beelphegor:That is, they took to the worship of Beelphegor, an obscene idol of the Moabites, and were consecrated, as it were, to him.(Challoner)
(b)25:5 Notice that Phinehas does not act until after Moses gives the order from God to kill those who were sinning.(Conte)
(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
1
Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab;
2
for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods.
3
Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.
4
The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to the LORD before the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”
5
Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.”

The Zeal of Phinehas

6
Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
7
When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.
8
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 stopped among the children of Israel.
9
Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11
“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.
12
Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace.
13
It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’”
14
Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites.
15
The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midian.
16
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
17
“Harass the Midianites, and strike them;
18
for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”
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