1. Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of
Levi, and 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 assembly,
famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3. And they gathered 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 congregation of the LORD?
4. And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5. And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying,
Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is
holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him
whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
6. This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
7. And put fire therein, and put incense in 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, I pray you, ye sons of
Levi:
9. Seemeth 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 he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren
the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11. For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered
together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur
against him?
12. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab:
which said, We will not come up:
13. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a
land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the
wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince
over us?
14. Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth
with milk and honey, or 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 company
before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
17. And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and
bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred
and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his
censer.
18. And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them,
and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
19. And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the
glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
20. And the LORD spake 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 spake unto Moses, saying,
24. Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about
the tabernacle 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 spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray
you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing
of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
27. So they gat up from the tabernacle 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 children.
28. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath 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 the LORD hath
not sent me.
30. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her
mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto
them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall
understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
31. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all
these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under
them:
32. And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah,
and all their goods.
33. 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 congregation.
34. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of
them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
35. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the
two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
36. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
37. Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take
up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire
yonder; for they are hallowed.
38. The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let
them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for
they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are
hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of
Israel.
39. And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith
they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad
plates for a covering of the altar:
40. To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no
stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to
offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and
as his company: as the LORD said to 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 gathered
against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the
tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud
covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43. And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the
congregation.
44. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45. Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume
them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire
therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go
quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for
them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague
is begun.
47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of
the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among
the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for
the people.
48. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague
was stayed.
49. Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and
seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of
Korah.
50. And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
Chapter 17
1. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of
them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all
their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve
rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
3. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for
one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
4. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the
congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with
you.
5. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall
choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the
murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur
against you.
6. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one
of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one,
according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and
the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7. And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle
of witness.
8. And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the
tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the
house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and
bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9. And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto
all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every
man his rod.
10. And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before
the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels;
and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me,
that they die not.
11. And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
12. And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold,
we die, we perish, we all perish.
13. Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the
LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
