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 before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred
and fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown;
3
and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to
them, You take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one
of them, and YHWH is among them: wherefore then lift you up yourselves above the assembly
of YHWH?
4
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon 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 cause him to come near to him: even him whom
he shall choose will he cause to come near to him.
6
This do: take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
7
and put fire in them, and put incense upon them before YHWH to-morrow: and it shall
be that the man whom YHWH does choose, he [shall be] holy: you take too much upon
you, you sons of Levi.
8
And Moses said to Korah, Hear now, you sons of Levi:
9
[seems it but] 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;
10
and that he has brought you near, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you?
and seek you the priesthood also?
11
Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against YHWH: and Aaron,
what is he who you 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 you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and
honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must needs make yourself also a prince
over us?
14
Moreover you have not 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
will not come up.
15
And Moses was very wroth, and said to YHWH, Respect not you their offering: I have
not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
16
And Moses said to Korah, Be you and all your company before YHWH, you, and they, and
Aaron, to-morrow:
17
and take you every man his censer, and put incense upon them, and bring you before
YHWH every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each
his censer.
18
And they took every man 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.
19
And 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.
20
And YHWH spoke to Moses and to 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 will you be wroth with all the congregation?
23
And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,
24
Speak to the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram.
25
And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed
him.
26
And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these
wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.
27
So they gat them up from the tabernacle 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.
28
And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that YHWH has sent me to do all these works;
for [I have] not [done them] of mine own mind.
29
If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation
of all men; then YHWH 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.
31
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground
clave asunder that was under them;
32
and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all
the men that appertained to Korah, and all their goods.
33
So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: 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 YHWH, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered
the incense.
36
And YHWH 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 you the fire yonder; 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.
39
And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, which they that were burnt had offered;
and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,
40
to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not
of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before YHWH; that he be not as Korah,
and as his company: as YHWH spoke to him by Moses.
41
But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against
Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of YHWH.
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 YHWH appeared.
43
And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
44
And YHWH spoke to 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 to Aaron, Take they censer, and put fire therein from off the altar,
and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement
for them: for there is anger gone out from YHWH; 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 to Moses to the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was
stayed.