King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
1
When the Israelites were camped at Acacia Valley, the men began to have sexual intercourse with the Moabite women who were there.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
2
These women invited them to sacrificial feasts, where the god of Moab was worshiped. The Israelites ate the food and worshiped the god
3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
3
Baal of Peor. So the Lord was angry with them
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
4
and said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of Israel and, in obedience to me, execute them in broad daylight, and then I will no longer be angry with the people."
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.
5
Moses said to the officials, "Each of you is to kill every man in your tribe who has become a worshiper of Baal of Peor."
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
6
One of the Israelites took a Midianite woman into his tent in the sight of Moses and the whole community, while they were mourning at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence.
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
7
When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, saw this, he got up and left the assembly. He took a spear,
8 And 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 belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
8
followed the man and the woman into the tent, and drove the spear through both of them. In this way the epidemic that was destroying Israel was stopped,
9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
9
but it had already killed twenty-four thousand people.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10
The Lord said to Moses,
11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
11
"Because of what Phinehas has done, I am no longer angry with the people of Israel. He refused to tolerate the worship of any god but me, and that is why I did not destroy them in my anger.
12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
12
So tell him that I am making a covenant with him that is valid for all time to come.
13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
13
He and his descendants are permanently established as priests, because he did not tolerate any rivals to me and brought about forgiveness for the people's sin."
14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.
14
The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the head of a family in the tribe of Simeon.
15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.
15
The woman's name was Cozbi. Zur, her father, was chief of a group of Midianite clans.
16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
16
The Lord commanded Moses,
17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:
17
"Attack the Midianites and destroy them,
18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.
18
because of the evil they did to you when they deceived you at Peor, and because of Cozbi, who was killed at the time of the epidemic at Peor."
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.