| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. | 1While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. |
| 2These 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 yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. | 3So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel. |
| 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 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." |
| 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 told Israel's judges, "Kill each of the men who aligned themselves with 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. | 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. |
| 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, son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, |
| 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. | 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, |
| 9Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand. | 9but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000. |
| 10And the LORD said to Moses, | 10The LORD spoke 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. | 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 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.’” | 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." |
| 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 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, who was the tribal head 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. |
| 16And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 16The LORD told Moses: " |
| 17“Harass the Midianites and strike them down, | 17Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. |
| 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.” | 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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