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, caused trouble.

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.

They came in front of Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel. They had chosen 250 leaders of the people of Israel, well-known men.

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 all gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the people are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why do you honor yourselves more than the people of the Lord?”

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

When Moses heard this, he bowed to the ground.

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.

He said to Korah and all who were with him, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His, and who is holy. He will have him come near to Him. He will bring near to Himself the one whom He will choose.

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

Do this, Korah and all who are with you. Take pots for burning special perfume.

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 special perfume upon them before the Lord tomorrow. The man whom the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You have gone too far, 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 not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the rest of the people of Israel? He has brought you near to Himself. He has you do the work around the meeting tent of the Lord. And He has you stand in front of the people to care for 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?

He has brought you near to Him, Korah, and all your brothers who are the sons of Levi, with you. Would you try to be the religious leaders 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?

So you and all who are with you are gathered together against the Lord. But as for Aaron, who is he 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.

Then 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 not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to have us die in the desert? Must you make yourself a ruler over us also?

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!

More than this, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey. You have not given us any land with fields and grape vines. Would 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.

Moses became very angry. He said to the Lord, “Do not respect their gift! I have not taken one donkey from them. And I have not 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.

Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all who are with you be before the Lord tomorrow, you and they, and 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.

Each of you take his fire pot and put special perfume on it. And each of you bring his fire pot before the Lord, 250 fire pots. Let both you and Aaron bring his fire pot also.”

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 each man took his fire pot and put fire in it and put special perfume on it. And they stood at the door of the meeting tent 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.

Korah gathered together all the people against them at the door of the meeting tent. And the shining-greatness of the Lord was seen by all the people.

20 A nd the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

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

“Go away from these people, so I may destroy them at once.”

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?

But they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with all the people?”

23 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

Then the Lord said to Moses,

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

“Say to the people, ‘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 got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the leaders of Israel following 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 said to the people, “Go away now from the tents of these sinful men. Touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be destroyed because of all their sin.”

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 went away from 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 ones.

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:

Moses said, “By this you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works. For this is not my doing.

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 in the same way all men die, or if what happens to everyone happens to them, 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 the Lord will do something new. The ground will open its mouth and take them with all that belongs to them. And they will go down alive into the place of the dead. Then you will understand that these men have turned against the Lord.”

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

As soon as he stopped speaking, the ground under them opened up.

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

The earth opened its mouth and took them and all those of their house, and all Korah’s men and all that belonged to them.

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.

They and all that belonged to them went down alive to the place of the dead, and the earth closed over them. They were destroyed from among the people.

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

And all Israel who were around them ran away at their cry. For they said, “The earth may take us too!”

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

Then fire came from the Lord and destroyed the 250 men who had brought the special perfume.

36 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

The Lord said to Moses,

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 religious leader to take the fire pots out of the fire. For they are holy. Then spread the burning pieces far apart.

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.

Let the fire pots of these men who have sinned and lost their lives be made into beaten plates to cover the altar. For they did bring them to the Lord and they are holy. They will be something special for the people of Israel to see.”

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 religious leader took the brass fire pots which the men who were burned had brought. And they beat them into plates to cover 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.

They were to make the people of Israel remember that no man who is not a religious leader and a son of Aaron should come to burn special perfume before the Lord. Or he might become like Korah and those who were with him, as the Lord said to Eleazar through Moses. The People Complain

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.

But on the next day all the people of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people.”

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.

When the people had gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the meeting tent. There the cloud covered it and they saw the shining-greatness of the Lord.

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

Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the meeting tent.

44 A nd the Lord said to Moses,

And the Lord said to Moses,

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 these people, so I may destroy them at once.” Then 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!

Moses said to Aaron, “Take your fire pot and put fire in it from the altar, and lay special perfume on it. Then be quick to bring it to the people and pay for their sin. For anger has gone out from the Lord. The disease has come!”

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.

So Aaron took it as Moses said, and ran to the people. The disease had already come upon them. He put on the special perfume and paid for the sin of the people.

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

He stood between the dead and the living, and the disease was stopped.

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

But 14, 700 people died by the disease, as well as those who died because of Korah.

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

Then Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the meeting tent, for the disease had been stopped.