Numbers 25:1-9

1The Israelites were staying in Shittim. The men began to have sex with the women from Moab.

2The women from Moab took Israelite men to watch them as they offered sacrifices to the gods of Moab. The Israelite men joined with the Moabite women to eat at their feasts. They also worshipped the gods of Moab.

3The Israelites joined the Moabite women to worship their god, Baal of Peor. So the Lord became very angry with them.

4The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take hold of all the leaders of these people. Hang them up during the day so that they die and people see them. Do what I tell you, so that I will no longer be angry against the Israelites.’

5Moses told the officers of the Israelites, ‘Each of you, kill the men who have worshipped the god, Baal of Peor.’

6Moses and all the people were at the door of the Tent of Meeting. They were weeping. While they were there, an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman into his tent. Moses and all the people could see them.

7Phinehas, the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest, saw what happened. So he stood up among all the people and he took a spear in his hand.

8He went into the man's tent. He pushed the spear through the body of the man and the Midianite woman. When he did that, the bad disease that was killing the Israelites stopped.

9But 24,000 people had already died as a result of the disease.