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,
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Pallu, the son of Reuben, made themselves ready,
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;
And came before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty chiefs of the people, men of good name who had a place in the meeting of the people.
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 YHWH is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of YHWH?"
They came together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take overmuch on yourselves, seeing that all the people are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; why then have you put yourselves in authority over the people of the Lord?
4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face:
And Moses, hearing this, went down on his face;
5 and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, "In the morning YHWH 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 he said to Korah and his band, In the morning the Lord will make clear who are his, and who is holy, and who may come near him: the man of his selection will be caused to come near him.
6 Do this: take censers, Korah, and all his company;
So do this: let Korah and all his band take vessels for burning perfumes;
7 and put fire in them, and put incense on them before YHWH tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom YHWH chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi."
And put spices on the fire in them before the Lord tomorrow; then the man marked out by the Lord will be holy: you take overmuch on yourselves, you sons of Levi.
8 Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi.
And Moses said to Korah, Give ear now, you 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 YHWH, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
Does it seem only a small thing to you that the God of Israel has made you separate from the rest of Israel, letting you come near himself to do the work of the House of the Lord, and to take your place before the people to do what has to be done for them;
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?
Letting you, and all your brothers the sons of Levi, come near to him? and would you now be priests?
11 Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against God. And Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?"
So you and all your band have come together against the Lord; and Aaron, who is he, that you are crying out 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 for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: and they said, We will not come up:
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 not enough that you have taken us from a land flowing with milk and honey, to put us to death in the waste land, but now you are desiring to make yourself a chief 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."
And more than this, you have not taken us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us a heritage of fields and vine-gardens: will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.
15 Moses was very angry, and said to YHWH, "Do not respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."
Then Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, Give no attention to their offering: not one of their asses have I taken, or done wrong to any of them.
16 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company go before YHWH, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:
And Moses said to Korah, You and all your band are to come before the Lord tomorrow, you and they and Aaron:
17 and each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before YHWH his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer."
And let every man take a vessel for burning perfumes, and put sweet spices in them; let every man take his vessel before the Lord, two hundred and fifty vessels; you and Aaron and everyone with his vessel.
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.
So every man took his vessel and they put fire in them, with spices, and came to the door of the Tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
19 Korah assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the glory of YHWH appeared to all the congregation.
And Korah made all the people come together against them to the door of the Tent of meeting: and the glory of the Lord was seen by all the people.
20 YHWH spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
21 "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."
Come out from among this people, so that I may send sudden destruction on 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?"
Then falling down on their faces they said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, because of one man's sin will your wrath be moved against all the people?
23 YHWH 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.'"
Say to the people, Come away from the tent of Korah Dathan, and Abiram.
25 Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the responsible men of Israel went with 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."
And he said to the people, Come away now from the tents of these evil men, without touching anything of theirs, or you may be taken in the punishment of 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.
So on every side they went away from the tent of Korah Dathan, and Abiram: and Dathan and Abiram came out to the door of their tents, with their wives and their sons and their little ones.
28 Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that YHWH has sent me to do all these works; for they are not from my own mind.
And Moses said, Now you will see that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and I have not done them of myself.
29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then YHWH hasn't sent me.
If these men have the common death of men, or if the natural fate of all men overtakes them, then the Lord has not sent me.
30 But if YHWH 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 YHWH." (Sheol h7585)
But if the Lord does something new, opening the earth to take them in, with everything which is theirs, and they go down living into the underworld, then it will be clear to you that the Lord has not been honoured by these men. (Sheol h7585)
31 It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;
And while these words were on his lips, the earth under them was parted in two;
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 the earth, opening her mouth, took them in, with their families, and all the men who were joined to Korah, and their goods.
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 h7585)
So they and all theirs went down living into the underworld, and the earth was shut over them, and they were cut off from among the meeting of the people. (Sheol h7585)
34 All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up."
And all Israel round about them went in flight at their cry, For fear, said they, that we go down into the heart of the earth.
35 Fire came forth from YHWH, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.
Then fire came out from the Lord, burning up the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the perfume.
36 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses,
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,
Say to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he is to take out of the flames the vessels with the perfumes in them, turning the fire out of them, for they are holy;
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 YHWH; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."
And let the vessels of those men, who with their lives have made payment for their sin, be hammered out into plates as a cover for the altar; for they have been offered before the Lord and are holy; so that they may be a sign to the children of Israel.
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,
So Eleazar the priest took the brass vessels which had been offered by those who were burned up, and they were hammered out to make a cover for 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 YHWH; that he not be as Korah, and as his company: as YHWH spoke to him by Moses.
To be a sign, kept in memory for ever by the children of Israel, that no man who is not of the seed of Aaron has the right of burning spices before the Lord, so that he may not be like Korah and his band: as the Lord said to him by the mouth of 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 YHWH's people."
But on the day after, all the children of Israel made an outcry against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have put to death the Lord's people.
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 YHWH appeared.
Now when the people had come together against Moses and Aaron, looking in the direction of the Tent of meeting, they saw the cloud covering it, and the glory of the Lord came before their eyes.
43 Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of meeting.
44 YHWH 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.
Come out from among this people, so that I may send sudden destruction on them. And they went down on their faces.
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 YHWH. The plague has begun."
And Moses said to Aaron, Take your vessel and put in it fire from the altar, and sweet spices, and take it quickly into the meeting of the people, and make them free from sin: for wrath has gone out from the Lord, and the disease is starting.
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.
And at the words of Moses, Aaron took his vessel, and went running among the people; and even then the disease had made a start among them; and he put spices in his vessel to take away the sin of the people.
48 He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
And he took his place between the dead and the living: and the disease was stopped.
49 Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.
Now fourteen thousand, seven hundred deaths were caused by that disease, in addition to those who came to their end because of what Korah had done.
50 Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the plague was stayed.
Then Aaron went back to Moses to the door of the Tent of meeting: and the disease came to a stop.
