1 N ow Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men,

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 A nd they rose up before Moses, with certain of the Israelites, 250 princes or leaders of the congregation called to the assembly, men well known and of distinction.

and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown.

3 A nd they gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, seeing that all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you lift yourselves up above the assembly of the Lord?

They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “ You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord ?”

4 A nd when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.

So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face;

5 A nd he said to Korah and all his company, In the morning the Lord will show who are His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him; him whom He has chosen will He cause to come near to Him.

and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.

6 D o this: Take censers, Korah and all your company,

Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company;

7 A nd put fire in them and put incense upon them before the Lord tomorrow; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be holy. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi.

put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”

8 A nd Moses said to Korah, Hear, I pray you, you sons of Levi:

Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi:

9 D oes it seem 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 the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,

Is it 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 work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them;

10 A nd that He has brought you near to Him, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you? Would you seek the priesthood also?

and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?

11 T herefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?

Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”

12 A nd Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, We will not come up.

And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!

13 I s 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 also make yourself a prince over us?

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, that you should keep acting like a prince over us?

14 M oreover, you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you bore out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!

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 A nd Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, Do not respect their offering! I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.

Then Moses was very angry, and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.”

16 A nd Moses said to Korah, You and all your company be before the Lord tomorrow, you and they and Aaron.

And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the Lord —you and they, as well as Aaron.

17 A nd let every man take his censer and put incense upon it and bring before the Lord every man his censer, 250 censers; you also and Aaron, each his censer.

Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.”

18 S o they took every man his censer, and they put fire in them and laid incense upon it, and they stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.

So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

19 T hen Korah assembled all the congregation against Moses and Aaron before the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

20 A nd the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

21 S eparate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”

22 A nd 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 angry with all the congregation?

Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?”

23 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

24 S ay to the congregation, Get away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”

25 T hen Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

26 A nd he said to the congregation, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.

And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”

27 S o they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents with their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.

So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.

28 A nd Moses said, By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I do not act of my own accord:

And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.

29 I f these men die the common death of all men or if what happens to everyone happens to them, then the Lord has not sent me.

If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me.

30 B ut if the Lord causes a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol (the place of the dead), then you shall understand that these men have provoked (spurned, despised) the Lord!

But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”

31 A s soon as he stopped speaking, the ground under the offenders split apart

Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,

32 A nd the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and all men and all their possessions.

and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

33 T hey and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol (the place of the dead); and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.

So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.

34 A nd all Israel who were round about them fled at their cry, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also! ”

35 A nd fire came forth from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered the incense.

And a fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.

36 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

37 S peak to Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning and scatter the fire at a distance. For the censers are hallowed—

“Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away.

38 T he censers of these men who have sinned against themselves and at the cost of their own lives. Let the censers be made into hammered plates for a covering of the altar, for they were used in offering before the Lord and therefore they are sacred. They shall be a sign to the Israelites.

The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.”

39 E leazar the priest took the bronze censers with which the Levites who were burned had offered incense, and they were hammered into broad sheets for a covering of the altar,

So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar,

40 T o be a memorial to the Israelites, so that no outsider, that is, no one not of the descendants of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become as Korah and as his company, as the Lord said to Eleazar through Moses.

to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses. Complaints of the People

41 B ut on the morrow all the congregation of the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the Lord.

On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.”

42 W hen the congregation was gathered against Moses and Aaron, they looked at the Tent of Meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and they saw the Lord’s glory.

Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.

43 A nd Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.

Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting.

44 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

45 G et away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And Moses and Aaron fell on their faces.

“Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.

46 A nd Moses said to Aaron, Take a censer and put fire in it from off the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun!

So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.”

47 S o Aaron took the burning censer as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people.

48 A nd he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed.

And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.

49 N ow those who died in the plague were 14, 700, besides those who died in the matter of Korah.

Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident.

50 A nd Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting, since the plague was stayed.

So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.