1Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi took men, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben.
2And they rose up before Moses, with men from the Israelites, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown.
3They assembled against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the congregation, all of them, are holy, and Yahweh is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves over the assembly of Yahweh?”
4When Moses heard, he fell on his face.
5Then he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “In the morning Yahweh will make known who is his and who is holy, and will bring him near to himself; the one whom he chooses he will bring near to himself.
6Do this: take for yourselves censers, Korah and all his company,
7and put fire in them and place incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow, and the man whom Yahweh chooses—he is the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!
8And Moses said to Korah, “Listen now, sons of Levi:
9Is it too small a thing for 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 Yahweh, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them,
10and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Yet you seek the priesthood as well!
11Therefore it is you and all your company who have banded together against Yahweh. As for Aaron, what is he, that you grumble against him?
12Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!
13Is it too small a 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 also make yourself a prince over us—yes, a prince?
14Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of field and vineyard. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!
15Moses became very angry and said to Yahweh, “Do not turn toward their offering. I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I wronged any one of them.”
16And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company, present yourselves before Yahweh—you and they and Aaron—tomorrow.
17Each of you take his censer and put incense on it, and each of you bring before Yahweh his censer—two hundred and fifty censers—you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”
18So each man took his censer, put fire in it, and placed incense on it, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, along with Moses and Aaron.
19And Korah assembled the whole congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole congregation.
20And Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
21“Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment.”
22But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin, and you be angry with the whole congregation?”
23And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
25Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
26And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Turn away, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, lest you be swept away in all their sins.”
27So they withdrew from around the dwelling of Korah, and from Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
28And Moses said, “By this you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these deeds, and that it is not of my own heart:
29If these men die as all men die, and are visited with the fate of all men, then Yahweh has not sent me.
30But if Yahweh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, then you shall know that these men have spurned Yahweh.”
31And it happened, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground that was beneath them split apart.
32And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and every person who belonged to Korah, and all their possessions.
33And they went down, they and all who belonged to them, alive into Sheol, and the earth covered over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
34And all Israel who were around them fled at their outcry, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us!’
35And fire went out from Yahweh and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.
36And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
37Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest that he should take up the censers from the midst of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder, for they have become holy—
38the censers of these sinners at the cost of their lives. Let them make of them hammered plates as an overlay for the altar, for they presented them before Yahweh and so became holy; and they shall become a sign for the sons of Israel.
39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that those who were burned had presented, and they hammered them out as an overlay for the altar,
40as a memorial for the sons of Israel, so that no strange man who is not of the seed of Aaron should draw near to burn incense before Yahweh, and not become like Korah and like his congregation—just as Yahweh had spoken to him by the hand of Moses.
41And on the next day the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You yourselves have put to death the people of Yahweh!”
42And it happened, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.
43And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
44And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
45“Get up from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in an instant.” And they fell on their faces.
46And Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire on it from off the altar, and place incense on it, and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for the wrath has gone out from before Yahweh—the plague has begun.”
47And Aaron took it, just as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.
48And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was checked.
49And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died over the matter of Korah.
50And Aaron returned to Moses, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the plague had been checked.
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