Moab Leads Israel Astray
1Israel was staying in Shittim. The men of Israel began to commit sexual sins with the women of Moab. 2The women invited the men to feasts and sacrifices to honor their gods. The people ate the sacrifices and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods. 3So Israel joined in worshiping the god named Baal that was worshiped at Peor. The Lord became very angry with Israel.
4The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people. Kill them. Put their dead bodies out in the open. I want to see you do it in the middle of the day. Then I will not be angry with Israel.”
5So Moses spoke to Israel’s judges. He said, “Some of your people have joined in worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. Each of you must kill the people in your tribe who have done that.”
6Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7Phinehas was a priest. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. When Phinehas saw what had happened, he left the people. He took a spear in his hand. 8He followed the man into the tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through the man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the Lord stopped the plague against the Israelites. 9But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.
10The Lord said to Moses, 11“Phinehas is a priest. He is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites. I am committed to making sure I am honored among them. And he is as committed as I am. So even though I was angry with them, I did not put an end to them. 12So tell Phinehas I am making my covenant with him. It is my promise to give him peace. 13He and his sons after him will have a covenant to be priests forever. That is because he was committed to making sure that I, his God, was honored. In that way he paid for the sin of the Israelites.”
14The name of the Israelite man who was killed was Zimri. He was the son of Salu. Zimri was killed along with the Midianite woman. Salu was a family leader in the tribe of Simeon. 15The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur. He was the chief of a Midianite family.
16The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 17“Treat the Midianites just as you would treat enemies. Kill them. 18After all, they treated you like enemies. They tricked you into worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. They also tricked you because of what Kozbi did. She was the woman killed when the plague came that was connected with Peor. Kozbi was the daughter of a Midianite leader.”
Moabfoɔ Daadaa Israelfoɔ
1Ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ bɔɔ atenaseɛ wɔ Sitim no, wɔn mu mmarima no bi hyɛɛ aseɛ ne Moab mmabaawa no bɔɔ adwaman de guu wɔn ho fi. 2Saa mmabaawa yi too nsa frɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔmmra wɔn afɔdeɛ a wɔbɔ ma wɔn anyame no ase. Ankyɛre biara, mmarima no kɔɔ wɔn apontoɔ ase na wɔsomm Moab anyame. 3Ɛberɛ tiawa bi akyi, Israelfoɔ no nyinaa kɔsom Baal-peor a ɔyɛ Moabfoɔ nyame. Yei maa Awurade bo fuu ne nkurɔfoɔ no yie.
4Ɔhyɛɛ saa mmara yi maa Mose sɛ, “Kunkum mpanimfoɔ a wɔtuatua Israel mmusuakuo no ano no nyinaa. Sɛn wɔn wɔ Awurade anim awia ketee sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, nʼabufuo a ano yɛ den no bɛfiri wɔn so.”
5Enti, Mose hyɛɛ atemmufoɔ no ma wɔkunkumm wɔn a wɔsomm Baal-peor no nyinaa.
6Nanso, Israelni ɔhantanni bi de Midiani ababaawa bi baa wɔn atenaeɛ hɔ maa Mose ne nnipa no nyinaa hunuu no ɛberɛ a na wɔn nyinaa gyina Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no ɛpono akyi retwa adwo no. 7Ɛberɛ a Pinehas a ɔyɛ Eleasa babarima a na ɔyɛ ɔsɔfoɔ Aaron nana hunuu yei no, ɔhuri sɔɔ pea mu 8taa saa ɔbarima no so de no kɔwuraa ne ntomadan mu baabi a ɔfaa ɔbaa no. Ɔde pea no wowɔɔ ɔbarima no sane de wɔɔ ɔbaa no yafunu mu. Enti, ɔhaw no to twaa wɔ Israelfoɔ no mu, 9nanso ɛkɔsi saa ɛberɛ no, na nnipa mpem aduonu ɛnan awuwu dada.
10Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ, 11“Eleasa babarima Pinehas a ɔyɛ ɔsɔfoɔ Aaron nana adwodwo mʼabufuo ano, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔbɔɔ mmɔden te sɛ me ara wɔ mʼanimuonyam ho, enti sɛdeɛ meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mɛsɛe Israelfoɔ nyinaa no, magyae. 12Enti ka kyerɛ no sɛ, me ne no rebɛyɛ asomdwoeɛ apam. 13Saa apam yi mu, ɔno ne nʼasefoɔ bɛyɛ asɔfoɔ afebɔɔ, ɛfiri sɛ watwe me, ne Onyankopɔn, ho ninkunu wɔ Israelfoɔ mu de ayɛ mpata ama wɔn.”
14Ɔbarima a wɔkumm no ne Midiani ababaawa no, na ne din de Simri a na ɔyɛ Salu a ɔtua Simeon abusuakuo ano no babarima. 15Ɔbaa no nso, na ne din de Kosbi a na ɔyɛ Midianhene babarima Sur babaa.
16Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ, 17“To hyɛ Midianfoɔ no so na sɛe wɔn, 18ɛfiri sɛ, wɔfaa mo sɛ atamfoɔ, na wɔdaadaa mo ma mosomm Baal-peor, ne Kosbi a ɔyɛ Midian ntuanoni babaa a wɔkumm no wɔ Peor ɔyaredɔm ɛda no.”
