Numbers 16
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1Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites--Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth--became insolent1Now Izhar's son Korah, the grandson of Kohath, a descendant of Levi, along with Eliab's sons Dathan and Abiram, and Peleth's son On, a descendant of Reuben, took charge
2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.2of a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 community leaders, Israelis who were famous men and representatives from the assembly.
3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"3They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have appropriated too much for yourselves from the entire congregation, since all of them are holy, and the LORD is among them, too. Why do you exalt yourselves over the LORD's assembly?"
4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.4When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him.5Then he addressed Korah and his entire company, "In the morning, may the LORD reveal who belongs to him and who is holy. May he cause that person to approach him. May he cause to approach him the one whom he has chosen.
6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers6Korah, you and your entire company are to bring censers
7and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"7and put fire and incense in them in the LORD's presence tomorrow. It will be that the man whom the LORD chooses will be holy. You're taking too much for yourselves, you descendants of Levi."
8Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites!8Moses also told Korah, "Listen now, you descendants of Levi!
9Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?9Is it such an insignificant thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelis to draw you to himself, appointing you to do the work of the tent of the LORD and to stand before the community to minister to them?
10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.10He brought you near, along with all of your relatives, the descendants of Levi. Are you also seeking the priesthood?
11It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"11Therefore you and your group have conspired against the LORD and Aaron. What is it that causes you to complain against him?"
12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come!12So Moses sent for Eliab's sons Dathan and Abiram, but they responded, "We're not coming.
13Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us!13Is it such an insignificant thing that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness? Now you're trying to make yourself be a prince and rule over us, aren't you?
14Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves? No, we will not come!"14You still haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you really think that you can make these men look the other way? We won't go up."
15Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."15Moses was very angry, so he told the LORD, "Please don't accept their offering. I haven't taken even one donkey from them nor have I hurt even one of them."
16Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow--you and they and Aaron.16Then Moses told Korah, "You and your entire company are to present yourselves in the LORD's presence tomorrow—you, they, and Aaron.
17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it--250 censers in all--and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also."17Each man is to take a censer, put incense on it, and bring it into the LORD's presence, each man with his censer, for a total of 250 censers. You and Aaron are each to bring his own censer."
18So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting.18So each man took his censer, put fire coals inside of it, placed incense in it, and then stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, accompanied by Moses and Aaron.
19When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly.19When Korah had assembled the entire community in opposition to Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire community.
20The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,20Then the LORD told Moses and Aaron,
21"Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."21"Separate yourselves from among this community, and I'll destroy them in a moment."
22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"22Then they fell on their faces and said, "God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, will you be angry at the entire congregation on account of one man's sin?"
23Then the LORD said to Moses,23Then the LORD instructed Moses,
24"Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.'"24"Tell the community to move away from where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram are living."
25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.25So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
26He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."26Then he told the community, "Move away from the camps of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them. That way you won't be destroyed along with all their sins."
27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.27So they all moved away from the entire area where Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were living. Now Korah, Dathan, and Abiram stood at the entrance to their tents with their wives, sons, and little children.
28Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea:28Then Moses said, "This is how you'll know that the LORD has sent me to do all these awesome works—they're not coming merely from me.
29If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me.29If these people die a death similar to all other human beings, or if they are punished with a punishment common to other men, then the LORD didn't send me.
30But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."30But if the LORD creates something new, so that the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that belongs to them and they all descend directly to Sheol while still alive, then you'll know that these men have spurned the LORD."
31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart31Just as he finished saying all these things, the ground under them split open.
32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions.32The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, all their households, everyone who was affiliated with Korah, and all of their property.
33They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.33So they and all that belonged to them descended alive to Sheol. Then the earth closed over them. That's how they were annihilated from the assembly.
34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"34Then all of the Israelis who were around them ran away when they heard them crying, "…so the ground won't swallow us up, too."
35And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.35After this, fire came from the LORD and incinerated the 250 men who offered the incense.
36The LORD said to Moses,36 Then the LORD instructed Moses,
37"Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy--37"Tell Aaron's son Eleazar the priest to take out the censers out of the flames and scatter the coals far away, since they are holy.
38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."38As for the censers of those rebels who died, fasten them into beaten plates to line the altar. Since they brought them into the LORD's presence, they're holy. They are to become a reminder to the Israelis."
39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been burned and beat them into metal plates for the altar,
40as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.40to serve as a memorial to the Israelis, a reminder that no unauthorized person, who isn't a descendant of Aaron, is to attempt to burn incense in the LORD'S presence, so that he may not become like Korah and his group, just as the LORD had spoken by the authority of Moses.
41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.41Nevertheless, the very next day, the whole congregation of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, "You've killed the LORD'S people!"
42But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.42When the community gathered together against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tent of Meeting. All of a sudden, a cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting,43Then Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting.
44and the LORD said to Moses,44The LORD told Moses,
45"Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.45"Leave this community, so I can annihilate them in a moment." But they fell upon their faces.
46Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started."46Then Moses told Aaron. "Take the censer, put fire on it from the altar, and burn some incense. Then walk quickly to the congregation and atone for them, because wrath has already come out from the LORD—the plague has begun."
47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them.47So Aaron took the censer, just as Moses had spoken, and ran out to the center of the assembly, where a plague had begun among the people. He set the incense on fire and atoned for the people.
48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.48He stood between the dead and the living and restrained the plague.
49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.49Those who died due to the plague numbered 14,700, not counting those who died due to the matter with Korah.
50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting after the slaughter had been restrained.
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Numbers 15
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