Israel at Shittim
25 1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began sexual sin with Moab's daughters. 2 They invited the people to their gods' sacrifices; the people ate and bowed to their gods. 3 So Israel joined himself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of our Father burned against Israel.
4 Our Father said to Moses, "Take all the people's leaders and execute them before me in daylight, so my burning anger turns away from Israel."
5 Moses told Israel's judges, 'Each of you kill his men joined to Baal of Peor.'
6 Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in front of Moses and Israel's whole assembly, while they wept at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, rose from the assembly, and took a spear in his hand. 8 He followed the Israelite man into the chamber and pierced them both—the Israelite man and the woman, through her belly. Then the plague against the Israelites stopped. 9 Those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10 Then our Father said to Moses,
11 Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger from the Israelites by his zeal for my zeal among them, so I didn't destroy the Israelites in my zeal. 12 Therefore say: I am giving him my covenant of peace. 13 He and his descendants after him will have a covenant of lasting priesthood, because he was passionate for me and made atonement for the Israelites. a a v13 Phinehas's covenant of everlasting priesthood and his act of atonement point ahead to Jesus, the eternal priest whose zeal for our Father and once-for-all sacrifice bring a lasting peace no human priest could secure.
14 The name of the Israelite killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, a Simeonite clan leader. 15 The Midianite woman killed was named Cozbi, daughter of Zur, head of a clan in Midian.
16 Then our Father said to Moses,
17 "Treat the Midianites as enemies and strike them down, 18 for they are your enemies through their trickery, by which they tricked you in the matter of Peor, and of Cozbi, daughter of Midian's leader, their sister, struck down on the day of the plague over Peor.
