Numbers 16
1 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 Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men.
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 They rose up before Moses, with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes 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 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 amongst them! Why do you lift yourselves up above the LORD’s assembly?”
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 He said to Korah and to all his company, “In the morning, the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him. Even him whom he shall choose, he will cause to come 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: have Korah and all his company take censers,
So do this: let Korah and all his band take vessels for burning perfumes;
7 put fire in them, and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow. It shall be that the man whom the LORD 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 LORD’s tabernacle, 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? 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 have gathered together against the LORD! What is Aaron that you complain 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 the LORD, “Don’t 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 the LORD, 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 Each man take his censer and put incense on it, and each man bring before the LORD his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each with 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 it, and laid incense on it, 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 opposite them to the door of the Tent of Meeting. The LORD’s glory 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 The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
21 “Separate yourselves from amongst 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 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!’”
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. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, 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 the LORD 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 experience what all men experience, then the LORD 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 the LORD makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.” (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 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart.
And while these words were on his lips, the earth under them was parted in two;
32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all of Korah’s men, 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 belonged to them went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed on them, and they perished from amongst 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 out from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred and 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 The LORD 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 away from the camp; 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 those who sinned against their own lives. Let them be beaten into plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before the LORD. Therefore they are holy. 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 offspring of Aaron, would come 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.
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 complained against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD’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 When the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they looked towards the Tent of Meeting. Behold, the cloud covered it, and the LORD’s glory 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 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
And the Lord said to Moses,
45 “Get away from amongst 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, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD! 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 middle of the assembly. The plague had already begun amongst the people. 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, in addition to 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 stopped.
Then Aaron went back to Moses to the door of the Tent of meeting: and the disease came to a stop.
