Numbers 25

In this chapter, the people of Israel was not aware that Balaam just told the Moabites that the people of Israel were blessed, and he apparently told the Midianites how to distract the Israelites. We'll get to that in a few chapters.

In their ignorance, the people start worshipping Baal and acting like pagans, and God is angry and inflicting punishment on the people who had partaken in this sin. Phinehas took righteous anger and speared a man who had brought home a Midianite woman home to 'know' her.

After the people had been punished, 24k men had died. God told Moses to attack the Midianites so that they couldn't tempt Israel in the future.