Numbers 16
1 And Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, takes both Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben,
And behold Core the son of Isaar, the son of Caath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab, and Hon the son of Pheleth of the children of Ruben,
2 and they rise up before Moses with men of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, called of the convention, men of renown,
Rose up against Moses, and with them two hundred and fifty others of the children of Israel, leading men of the synagogue, and who in the time of assembly were called by name.
3 and they are assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and say to them, “Enough of you! For all the congregation—all of them [are] holy, and YHWH [is] in their midst; and why do you lift yourselves up above the assembly of YHWH?”
And when they had stood up against Moses and Aaron, they said: Let it be enough for you, that all the multitude consisteth of holy ones, and the Lord is among them: Why lift you up yourselves above the people of the Lord?
4 And Moses hears, and falls on his face,
When Moses heard this, he fell flat on his face:
5 and he speaks to Korah and to all his congregation, saying, “Indeed, [in the] morning YHWH may cause [you] to know those who are His and him who is holy, and has brought [him] near to Him; even him whom He fixes on He brings near to Him.
And speaking to Core and all the multitude, he said: In the morning the Lord will make known who belong to him, and the holy he will join to himself: and whom he shall choose, they shall approach to him.
6 Do this: take censers for yourselves—Korah and all his company—
Do this therefore: Take every man of you your censers, thou Core, and all thy company.
7 and put fire in them and put incense on them before YHWH tomorrow, and it has been, the man whom YHWH chooses, he [is] the holy one—enough of you, sons of Levi!”
And putting fire in them tomorrow, put incense upon it before the Lord: and whomsoever he shall choose, the same shall be holy: you take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
8 And Moses says to Korah, “Now hear, sons of Levi;
And he said again to Core: Hear ye sons of Levi.
9 is it little to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the Dwelling Place of YHWH, and to stand before the congregation to serve them?
Is it a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath spared you from all the people, and joined you to himself, that you should serve him in the service of the tabernacle, and should stand before the congregation of the people, and should minister to him?
10 Indeed, He brings you near, and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you—and you have also sought the priesthood!
Did he therefore make thee and all thy brethren the sons of Levi to approach unto him, that you should challenge to yourselves the priesthood also,
11 Therefore, you and all your congregation are meeting against YHWH; and Aaron, what [is] he, that you murmur against him?”
And that all thy company should stand against the Lord? for what is Aaron that you murmur against him?
12 And Moses sends to call for Dathan and for Abiram, sons of Eliab, and they say, “We do not come up!
Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab. But they answered: We will not come.
13 Is it little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to put us to death in a wilderness, that you also certainly make yourself prince over us?
Is it a small matter to thee, that thou hast brought us out of a land that flowed with milk and honey, to kill us in the desert, except thou rule also like a lord over us?
14 Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor do you give an inheritance of field and vineyard to us; do you pick out the eyes of these men? We do not come up!”
Thou best brought us indeed into a land that floweth with rivers of milk and honey, and hast given us possessions of fields and vineyards; wilt thou also pull out our eyes? We will not come.
15 And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he says to YHWH, “Do not turn to their present; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I afflicted one of them.”
Moses therefore being very angry, raid to the Lord: Respect not their sacrifices: thou knowest that I have not taken of them so much as a young ass at any time, nor have injured any of them.
16 And Moses says to Korah, “You and all your congregation, be [present] before YHWH—you, and they, and Aaron—tomorrow;
And he said to Core: Do thou and thy congregation stand apart before the Lord tomorrow, and Aaron apart.
17 and let each take his censer and you have put incense on them, and each has brought his censer near before YHWH—two hundred and fifty censers; indeed, you and Aaron, each [with] his censer.”
Take every one of you censers, and put incense upon them, offering to the Lord two hundred and fifty censers: let Aaron also hold his censer.
18 And they each take his censer, and put fire on them, and lay incense on them, and they stand at the opening of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing,
19 And Korah assembles all the congregation against them at the opening of the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of YHWH is seen by all the congregation.
And had drawn up all the multitude against them to the door of the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all.
20 And YHWH speaks to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
And the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:
21 “Be separated from the midst of this congregation, and I consume them in a moment”;
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may presently destroy them.
22 and they fall on their faces, and say, “God, God of the spirits of all flesh—one man sins, and are You angry against all the congregation?”
They fell flat on their face, and said: O most mighty, the God of the spirits of all flesh, for one man’s sin shall thy wrath rage against all?
23 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses:
24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, Go up from around the dwelling place of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
Command the whole people to separate themselves from the tents of Core and Dathan and Abiron.
25 And Moses rises, and goes to Dathan and Abiram, and [the] elderly of Israel go after him,
And Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron: and the ancients of Israel following him,
26 and he speaks to the congregation, saying, “Now turn aside from the tents of these wicked men, and do not come against anything that they have, lest you are consumed in all their sins.”
He said to the multitude: Depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be involved in their sins.
27 And they go up from the dwelling place of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from all around, and Dathan and Abiram have come out, standing at the opening of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their infants.
And when they were departed from their tents round about, Dathan and Abiron coming out stood in the entry of their pavilions with their wives and children, and all the people.
28 And Moses says, “By this you know that YHWH has sent me to do all these works, that [they are] not from my own heart;
And Moses said: By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all things that you see, and that I have not forged them of my own head:
29 if these die according to the death of all men, or the charge of all men is charged on them, YHWH has not sent me;
If these men die the common death of men, and if they be visited with a plague, wherewith others also are wont to be visited, the Lord did not send me.
30 but if YHWH does a strange thing, and the ground has opened her mouth and swallowed them and all that they have, and they have gone down alive to Sheol, then you have known that these men have despised YHWH.” (Sheol h7585)
But if the Lord do a new thing, and the earth opening her mouth swallow them down, and all things that belong to them, and they go down alive into hell, you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord. (Sheol h7585)
31 And it comes to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which [is] under them cleaves,
And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet:
32 and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them, and their houses, and all the men who [are] for Korah, and all the goods,
And opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all their substance.
33 and they go down—they and all that they have—alive to Sheol, and the earth closes over them, and they perish from the midst of the assembly; (Sheol h7585)
And they went down alive into hell the ground closing upon them, and they perished from among the people. (Sheol h7585)
34 and all Israel who [are] around them have fled at their voice, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us”;
But all Israel, that was standing round about, fled at the cry of them that were perishing: saying: Lest perhaps the earth swallow us up also.
35 and fire has come out from YHWH and consumes the two hundred and fifty men bringing the incense near.
And a fire coming out from the Lord, destroyed the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense.
36 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
37 “Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to lift up the censers from the midst of the burning and scatter the fire away, for they have been hallowed.
Command Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers that lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire of one side and the other: because they are sanctified
38 [As for] the censers of these sinners against their own souls, indeed, they have made them [into] spread-out plates [for] a covering for the altar, for they have brought them near before YHWH, and they are hallowed; and they become a sign to the sons of Israel.”
In the deaths of the sinners: and let him beat them into plates, and fasten them to the altar, because incense hath been offered in them to the Lord, and they are sanctified, that the children of Israel may see them for a sign and a memorial.
39 And Eleazar the priest takes the bronze censers which they who are burned had brought near, and they spread them out [for] a covering for the altar—
Then Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherein they had offered, whom the burning fire had devoured, and beat them into plates, fastening them to the altar:
40 a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that a stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron does not draw near to make incense before YHWH, and is not as Korah and as his congregation, as YHWH has spoken by the hand of Moses to him.
That the children of Israel might have for the time to come wherewith they should be admonished, that no stranger or any one that is not of seed of Aaron should come near to offer incense to the Lord, lest he should suffer as Core suffered, and all his congregation, according as the Lord spoke to Moses.
41 And on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel murmurs against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have put the people of YHWH to death.”
The following day all the multitude of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: You have killed the people of the Lord.
42 And it comes to pass, in the congregation being assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turn toward the Tent of Meeting, and behold, the cloud has covered it and the glory of YHWH is seen;
And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,
43 and Moses comes—Aaron also—to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when the were gone into it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
44 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses:
45 “Get up from the midst of this congregation, and I consume them in a moment”; and they fall on their faces,
Get you out from the midst of this multitude, this moment will I destroy them. And as they were lying on the ground,
46 and Moses says to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire on it from off the altar, and place incense, and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for the wrath has gone out from the presence of YHWH—the plague has begun.”
Moses said to Aaron: Take the censer, and putting fire in it from the altar, put incense upon it, and go quickly to the people to pray for them: for already wrath is gone out from the Lord, and the plague rageth.
47 And Aaron takes [it] as Moses has spoken, and runs to the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague has begun among the people; and he gives the incense, and makes atonement for the people,
When Aaron had done this, and had run to the midst of the multitude which the burning fire was now destroying, he offered the incense:
48 and stands between the dead and the living, and the plague is restrained;
And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the plague ceased.
49 and those who die by the plague are fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who die for the matter of Korah;
And the number of them that were slain was fourteen thousand and seven hundred men, besides them that had perished in the sedition of Core.
50 and Aaron turns back to Moses, to the opening of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague has been restrained.
And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant after the destruction was over.
