The sons of Reuben made war with the Hagarites and "there fell down many slain, because the
war was from God." They did pretty well for themselves, too, in God's war, taking 250,000
sheep and 100,000 slaves. 5:18-22
But the Israelites "transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring
after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them." So God inspired the
Assyrians to enslave the Israelites. 5:25-26
"Phinehas ... the LORD was with him."
See Numbers 25:7-8 to see what he did when the Lord was with him.
9:20