16:1 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]:
16:2 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:
16:3 And they assembled themselves against Moses and against
Aaron, and said to them, [Ye take] too much upon you, seeing
all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the
LORD [is] among them: why then do ye raise yourselves above the
congregation of the LORD?
16:4 And when Moses heard [it], he fell upon his face:
16:5 And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, Even
to-morrow the LORD will show who [are] his, and [who is] holy;
and will cause [him] to come near to him: even [him] whom he
hath chosen will he cause to come near to him.
16:6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
16:7 And put fire in them, 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.
16:8 And Moses said to Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
16:9 [Seemeth it but] a small thing to 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
to them?
16:10 And he hath brought thee near [to him], and all thy
brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood
also?
16:11 For which cause [both] thou and all thy company [are]
assembled against the LORD: and what [is] Aaron, that ye murmur
against him?
16:12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of
Eliab: who said, We will not come up:
16:13 [Is it] a small thing that thou hast brought us 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?
16:14 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.
16:15 And Moses was very wroth, and said to the LORD, Respect
not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them,
neither have I hurt one of them.
16:16 And Moses said to Korah, Be thou and all thy company
before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow:
16:17 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.
16:18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them,
and laid incense on them, and stood in the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
16:19 And 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.
16:20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
16:21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I
may consume them in a moment.
16:22 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?
16:23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
16:24 Speak to the congregation, saying, Withdraw yourselves
from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
16:25 And Moses rose up, and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the
elders of Israel followed him.
16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray
you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of
theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
16:27 So they withdrew 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.
16:28 And Moses said, by this ye shall know that the LORD hath
sent me to do all these works: for [I have] not [done them] of
my own mind.
16:29 If these men shall 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.
16:30 But if the LORD shall make a new thing, and the earth
shall open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that
[appertain] to them, and they go down quick into the pit; then
ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
16:31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all
these words, that the ground cleaved asunder that [was] under
them:
16:32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their houses, and all the men that [appertained] to Korah, and
[all their] goods.
16:33 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.
16:34 And all Israel that [were] round about them, fled at the
cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up
[also].
16:35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the
two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
16:36 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
16:37 Speak to 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.
16:38 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 to the children of Israel.
16:39 And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, with which
they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad
[plates for] a covering of the altar:
16:40 [To be] a memorial to the children of Israel, that no
stranger, who [is] not of the seed of Aaron, should come near
to offer incense before the LORD; that he may not be as Korah,
and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of
Moses.
16:41 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.
16:42 And it came to pass when the congregation was gathered
against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked towards the
tabernacle of the congregation: and behold, the cloud covered
it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
16:43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the
congregation.
16:44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
16:45 Remove from among this congregation, that I may consume
them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
16:46 And Moses said to Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire in it
from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly to the
congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is
wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
16:47 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.
16:48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the
plague was stayed.
16:49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand
and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of
Korah.
16:50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
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