¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty^(A) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute^(B) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.^(C)

¹⁶ And when you choose some of their daughters as wives^(A) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,^(B) they will lead your sons to do the same.

Moab Seduces Israel

25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,^(A) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality^(B) with Moabite^(C) women,^{(D) 2} who invited them to the sacrifices^(E) to their gods.^(F) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. ³ So Israel yoked themselves to^(G) the Baal of Peor.^(H) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders^(I) of these people, kill them and expose^(J) them in broad daylight before the Lord,^(K) so that the Lord’s fierce anger^(L) may turn away from Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death^(M) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”^(N)

⁶ Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite^(O) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping^(P) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁷ When Phinehas^(Q) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear^(R) in his hand ⁸ and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;^(S)

⁵ The Israelites lived^(A) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,^(B) Hivites and Jebusites.^{(C) 6} They took their daughters^(D) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.^(E)

Othniel

⁷ The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord^(F) their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.^(G)