< Numbers 16 >
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, took Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, son 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 rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty leaders of the congregation, called to the assembly, 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 assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much on yourself, since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of the LORD?"
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 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face:
When Moses heard this, he fell flat on his face:
5 and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, "In the morning the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he has chosen he will bring 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, 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 the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, 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 Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi.
And he said again to Core: Hear ye sons of Levi.
9 Is it a small thing 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 tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to 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 and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? and do you seek the priesthood also?
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 company are gathered together against God. 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 Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, "We won't come up:
Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab. But they answered: We will not come.
13 is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a 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 Moreover you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: will you put out the eyes of these men? We won't 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 Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt 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 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company go before the LORD, 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 each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before the LORD his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each 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 They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing,
19 Korah assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the glory of the LORD appeared to 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 The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
And the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:
21 "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may presently destroy them.
22 They fell on their faces, and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with 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 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses:
24 "Speak to the congregation, saying, 'Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'"
Command the whole people to separate themselves from the tents of Core and Dathan and Abiron.
25 Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
And Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron: and the ancients of Israel following him,
26 He spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be 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 So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.
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 Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works; for they are not from my own mind.
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 men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hasn't 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 the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised the LORD." (Sheol )
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 )
31 It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;
And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet:
32 and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who appertained to Korah, and all their goods.
And opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all their substance.
33 So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. (Sheol )
And they went down alive into hell the ground closing upon them, and they perished from among the people. (Sheol )
34 All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up."
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 Fire came forth from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.
And a fire coming out from the Lord, destroyed the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense.
36 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
37 "Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are holy,
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 even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children 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 Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of 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 to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, who isn't of the descendants of Aaron, comes near to burn incense before the LORD; that he not be as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD spoke to him by Moses.
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 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You have killed the LORD's people."
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 It happened, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the Tent of Meeting: and look, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,
43 Moses and Aaron came 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 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses:
45 "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." They fell 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 Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar in it, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. 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 Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and look, the plague has begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made 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 He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the plague ceased.
49 Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about 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 Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the plague was stayed.
And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant after the destruction was over.