Numbers 16
1 Then took Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, —and 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 rose up before Moses, with certain men of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty, —princes of assembly, called to the stated meeting, 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 gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto them Too much for you, when, all the assembly, are, all of them, holy, and in the midst of them, is Yahweh, —Wherefore, then, should ye set yourselves up, above the convocation of Yahweh?
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, when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.
When Moses heard this, he fell flat on his face:
5 Then spake he unto Korah, and unto all his assembly, saying, In the morning, will Yahweh make known who are his, and who is the holy one and will cause him to come near unto himself, —yea him whom he shall choose, will he cause to come near unto himself.
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 This do, —Take to you censers, Korah and all his assembly;
Do this therefore: Take every man of you your censers, thou Core, and all thy company.
7 and place therein fire, and put thereon incense before Yahweh, to-morrow, So shall it be—that, the man whom Yahweh shall choose, he shall be the holy one. Too much for you ye 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 said unto Korah, —Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi!
And he said again to Core: Hear ye sons of Levi.
9 Is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the assembly of Israel, to bring you near unto himself, —to do the laborious work of the habitation of Yahweh, and to stand before the assembly, to wait upon 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 But having brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee, must ye seek 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 Wherefore thou and all thine assembly, are conspiring against Yahweh, —But Aaron, what is he, that ye should murmur against him?
And that all thy company should stand against the Lord? for what is Aaron that you murmur against him?
12 Then sent Moses, to call for Dathan and for Abiram sons of Eliab, —and they said We will not come up:
Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiron the sons of Eliab. But they answered: We will not come.
13 Was it, a small thing, that thou didst bring us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to put us to death in the desert but thou must, continue even to lord it, 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 Certainly not into a land flowing with milk and honey, hast thou brought us, nor given unto us an inheritance of field and vineyard, —The eyes of those men, wilt thou dig out? We will 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 Then was Moses very angry, and he said unto Yahweh, Do not thou have respect unto their meal-offering. Not one ass, from them, have I taken, neither have I wronged 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 said unto Korah, Thou, and all thine assembly, come ye before Yahweh, —thou, and they, and Aaron to-morrow.
And he said to Core: Do thou and thy congregation stand apart before the Lord tomorrow, and Aaron apart.
17 And take ye each man his censer and put thereon incense, then shall ye bring near before Yahweh, each man his censer, two hundred and fifty Censers, —and, thou and Aaron, each man 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 So they took each man his censer and put thereon fire, and placed thereon incense, —and took their stand at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
When they had done this, Moses and Aaron standing,
19 And Korah gathered together against them all the assembly, unto the entrance of the tent of meeting, —then appeared the glory of Yahweh, unto all the assembly.
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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:
And the Lord speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:
21 Separate yourselves out of the midst of this assembly, —that I may consume them in a moment.
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may presently destroy them.
22 And they fell upon their faces and said, O GOD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, —shall, one man, sin, and against all the assembly, wilt thou be wroth.
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 Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses:
24 Speak unto the assembly, saying, —Get ye up from round about the habitation of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
Command the whole people to separate themselves from the tents of Core and Dathan and Abiron.
25 So Moses rose up, and went, unto Dathan and Abiram, —then went, after him the elders of Israel.
And Moses arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron: and the ancients of Israel following him,
26 And he spake unto the assembly, saying—Remove I pray you from beside the tents of these lawless men, and do not touch aught that pertaineth unto them, —lest ye be carried off, 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 up from beside the habitation of Korah, Dathan and Abiram on every side, —and, Dathan and Abiram, came out and stationed themselves at the entrance of their tents, with 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 Then said Moses, Hereby, shall ye know, that, Yahweh hath sent me, to do all these works, —verily, not out of 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, as all human beings die, these do die, and the visitation of all human beings, be visited upon them, Yahweh, hath 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, a creation, Yahweh create, and the ground open wide her mouth and swallow them up, with all that pertain unto them, and so they go down alive unto hades, then shall ye know, that these men have despised Yahweh. (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 came to pass as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground which was under them, clave asunder;
And immediately as he had made an end of speaking, the earth broke asunder under their feet:
32 and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up them, and their households, —and all the human beings who pertained unto Korah, with all their goods:
And opening her mouth, devoured them with their tents and all their substance.
33 so, they, and all that pertained unto them, went down, alive unto hades, —and the earth, closed upon them, and they perished out of the midst of the convocation. (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 were round about 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 also came forth, from Yahweh, —and consumed the two hundred and 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
37 Say unto Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the midst of the burning, and the fire, scatter thou yonder, —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 persons, they shall be made into beaten-out plates as an overlay for the altar, for they had brought them near before Yahweh and hallowed them, —so shall they become a sign unto 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 took the censers of bronze, which the consumed men had brought near, —and beat them out into plates for overlaying 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 unto the sons of Israel, That no stranger, who is not of the seed of Aaron, shall draw near to offer incense before Yahweh, —lest he become like Korah and like his assembly, As spake Yahweh by the hand of Moses with regard thereto.
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 all the assembly of the sons of Israel murmured, on the morrow, against Moses and against, Aaron, saying, —Ye, have caused the death of the people of Yahweh.
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 came to pass, when the assembly gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned towards the tent of meeting, and lo! the cloud had covered it: and the glory of Yahweh, appeared.
And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,
43 And Moses and Aaron came in, before 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
And the Lord said to Moses:
45 Lift yourselves up out of the midst of this assembly, that I may consume them, as in a moment, —And they fell upon 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 Then said Moses unto Aaron—Take the censer and place thereon fire, from off the altar, and put incense [thereon], and, going quickly into the assembly, put a propitiatory-covering over them, —for wrath hath gone forth from before Yahweh the plague, hath 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 Then took Aaron, as Moses spake, and ran into the midst of the convocation, and lo! the plague had begun among the people, —so he placed the incense, and put a propitiatory-covering over 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 thus did he take his stand between the dead and the living, —and the plague was restrained.
And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the plague ceased.
49 And so it was that they who died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, —besides them who died over 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 returned unto Moses, unto the entrance of the tent of meeting, —when, the plague, had been restrained.
And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant after the destruction was over.
