Num 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 men;
2
and they rose up in face of Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred
and fifty men; they were princes of the congregation, the elect men of the assembly,
men of renown;
3
and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto
them: 'Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one
of them, and the LORD is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the
assembly of the LORD?'
4
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.
5
And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying: 'In the morning the LORD
will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto Him;
even him whom He may choose will He cause to come near unto Him.
6
This do: take you censors, Korah, and all his company;
7
and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before the LORD to-morrow; and it
shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy; ye take too much
upon you, ye sons of Levi.'
8
And Moses said unto Korah: 'Hear now, ye sons of Levi:
9
is it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath 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 unto them;
10
and that He hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee?
and will ye seek the priesthood also?
11
Therefore thou and all thy company that are gathered together against the LORD--;
and as to Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him?'
12
And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said: 'We will
not come up;
13
is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and
honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince
over us?
14
Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given
us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we
will not come up.'
15
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD: 'Respect not Thou their offering;
I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.'
16
And Moses said unto Korah: 'Be thou and all thy congregation before the LORD, thou,
and they, and Aaron, to-morrow;
17
and take ye every man his fire-pan, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before
the LORD every man his fire-pan, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; thou also, and Aaron,
each his fire-pan.'
18
And they took every man his fire-pan, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon,
and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
19
And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of
meeting; and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
20
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:
21
'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.'
22
And they fell upon their faces, and said: 'O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh,
shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?'
23
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
24
'Speak unto the congregation, saying: Get you up from about the dwelling of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram.'
25
And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed
him.
26
And he spoke unto the congregation, saying: 'Depart, I pray you, from the tents of
these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be swept away in all their
sins.'
27
So they got them up from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side;
and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives,
and their sons, and their little ones.
28
And Moses said: 'Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works,
and that I have not done them of mine own mind.
29
If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation
of all men, then the LORD hath not sent Me.
30
But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them
up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit, then ye
shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.'
31
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground
did cleave asunder that was under them.
32
And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all
the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
33
So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit; and the earth
closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.
34
And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said:
'Lest the earth swallow us up.'
35
And fire came forth from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that
offered the incense.
36
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
37
'Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the fire-pans out
of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are become holy;
38
even the fire-pans of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and let
them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar--for they are become holy,
because they were offered before the LORD--that they may be a sign unto the children
of Israel.'
39
And Eleazar the priest took the brazen fire-pans, which they that were burnt had offered;
and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,
40
to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no common man, that
is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the LORD; that he fare
not as Korah, and as his company; as the LORD spoke unto him by the hand of Moses.
41
But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against
Moses and against Aaron, saying: 'Ye have killed the people of the LORD.'
42
And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against
Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting; and, behold, the cloud covered
it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43
And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
44
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
45
'Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.' And
they fell upon their faces.
46
And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar,
and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement
for them; for there is wrath gone out from the LORD: the plague is begun.'
47
And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold,
the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement
for the people.
48
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49
Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides
them that died about the matter of Korah.
50
And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague
was stayed.