 1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, took both Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben. 2 They rose before Moses with some of the children of Israel, 250 rulers of the assembly, elect men in the congregation, men who were well known. 3 They gathered against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon you, since all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you lift yourselves up above the congregation of the Lord? 4 Moses heard and fell on his face. 5 He spoke to Korah and to all his company saying, Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are His, and him who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. Even him whom He has chosen, He will cause to come near to Him. 6 Take fire pans, Korah and all his company. 7 Put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow. The man whom the Lord chooses will be holy. You sons of Levi take too much upon yourselves. 8 Moses said to Korah, Hear now you sons of Levi: 9 Is it only a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near Himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? 10 He has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you. And do you seek the priesthood also? 11 For this cause you and all your company are gathered against the Lord. What is Aaron, that you grumble+ against him? 12 Moses called Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. They said, We will not come up. 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land that flows with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but must you also seize dominion over us? 14 Besides, you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance in fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up. 15 Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them. 16 Moses said to Korah, Stand before the Lord, you and all your company, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. 17 Every man take his fire pan and put incense in them, and let every man bring his fire pan before the Lord, 250 fire pans, you also, and Aaron, each with his fire pan. 18 Every man took his fire pan and put fire in them, and laid incense on it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19 Korah gathered all the congregation against them, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation. 20 The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation so that I may devour them in a moment. 22 They fell on their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin and will you be angry with all the congregation? 23 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 24 Speak to the congregation saying, Get away from the tent of Korah and Dathan and Abiram. 25 Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram. And the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He spoke to the congregation saying, I urge+ you to get away from the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs lest you be destroyed in all their sins. 27 So they got away from the tent of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, on every side. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little childen. 28 Moses said, By this you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works and that not from my own heart. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they are visited according to the examination of all men, the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord makes a new thing, and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them up with all that they have, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand so that these men have provoked the Lord. 31 As he stopped speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 The earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who were for Korah, and all their goods. 33 They and all that they had went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed upon them and they perished from among the congregation. 34 All Israel around them fled at their cry. For they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. 35 There came out a fire from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who offered incense. 36 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 37 Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the fire pans out of the burning and scatter the fire yonder, for they are holy. 38 The fire pans of these sinners are against their own souls. Make them into broad plates for a covering on the altar. For they offered them before the Lord. Therefore they are made holy and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel. 39 Eleazar the priest took the bronze fire pans, the ones that those who had been burned up had offered, and they were made into a broad covering for the altar. 40 A memorial to the children of Israel so that no stranger of the descendants of Aaron may come near to offer incense before the Lord, so that he may not be as Korah and as his company, as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses. 41 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel grumbled+ against Moses and against Aaron saying, You have killed the people of the Lord. 42 When the congregation was gathered together against Moses and against Aaron, they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation. And behold. The cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation. 44 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 45 Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in a moment. They fell on their faces. 46 Moses said to Aaron, Take a fire pan, and put fire in it from the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly to the congregation and make an atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun. 47 Aaron did as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation. And behold. The plague had begun among the people. And he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed. 49 Those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides the ones who died about the matter of Korah. 50 Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the plague was stayed.
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