Numbers, Chapter 16:

Number Verses, Chapter 16 of the Bible's Book of Numbers.

Korah's revolt

• 1. Korah the son of Izar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Pelet, the sons of Reuben, took men,
• 2. and they stood up before Moses with two hundred and fifty men of the children of Israel, princes of the congregation, chosen from the congregation, men of renown.
• 3. And they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, It is enough for you, for the whole congregation is holy, they are all holy, and the Lord is among them; Why then do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of the Lord?
• 4. When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
• 5. And he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying: Tomorrow morning the Lord will make known who is his and who is holy, and will cause them to come near to him; whoever he chooses, let him draw near.
• 6. Do this: take censers, Korah, and all his company,
• 7. and put fire on them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow; and it will be that the man whom the Lord chooses will be holy; you have rebelled enough, O sons of Levi.
• 8. And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, O sons of Levi.
• 9. Is it a small thing for you that the God of Israel separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
• 10. And what brought you and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you? And you still seek the priesthood!
• 11. Therefore, you and all your company are those who gather together against the Lord; for who is Aaron, that ye should murmur against him?
• 12. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, We will not go.
• 13. Is it a small thing that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the desert? And make you prince over us?
• 14. And furthermore, you did not bring us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor did you give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards; Will you pierce these men's eyes? We will not.
• 15. Then Moses was very angry and said to the Lord: Do not consider his offering; I took not a single donkey of them, nor did I harm any of them.
• 16. Then Moses said to Korah: You and all your company stand before the Lord tomorrow, you, they, and Aaron;
• 17. and take each one his censer, and put incense in them, and present before the Lord each one his censer, two hundred and fifty censers, you also, and Aaron, each one with his censer.
• 18. So each man took his censer, and put fire in them, and put incense on it, and they stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.
• 19. Korah gathered the whole congregation against them at the door of the tent of meeting; then the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation.
• 20. And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
• 21. Separate yourselves from this congregation, that I may consume it in a moment.
• 22. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, why should one man be indignant, and why should all this congregation be indignant?
• 23. The Lord said to Moses:
• 24. Speak to the congregation, saying: Depart from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
• 25. Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
• 26. And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch none of theirs, lest ye perish in all their sins.
• 27. Then they departed from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram went out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their children, and their little children.
• 28. And Moses said, By this you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these works, and that I did them not from my own heart.
• 29. If these die as all men die, and if they are visited as one visits all men, then the Lord has not sent me.
• 30. But if the Lord does a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that they have, and they go down alive into the abyss, then you will know that these men have angered the Lord.
• 31. And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking all these words, that the earth that was under them was split open;
• 32. and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their houses and all the men that were Korah's and all their wealth.
• 33. And they went down, they and all that was theirs, alive into the abyss; and the earth covered them, and they perished from among the congregation.
• 34. And all Israel that was round about them fled at their cry: for they said, Do not swallow up our land also.
• 35. Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.
• 36. The Lord said to Moses:
• 37. Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers from among the ashes, that is, the fire, and scatter them far away; because they are saints.
• 38. Let the censers of these men, who have sinned against their souls, not be made beaten cauldrons; because they will serve as a covering for the altar; because they were offered before the Lord, and they are holy; Let them therefore be a sign to the children of Israel.
• 39. Eleazar the priest took the copper censers, which he offered to those who were burned; and they spread them as a covering for the altar,
• 40. that they might serve as a memorial to the children of Israel, lest any stranger, who is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he be like Korah and like his congregation, according to what the The Lord had said to Moses, through him.
• 41. And the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of the Lord.
• 42. And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered together against Moses and against Aaron, as they turned towards the tent of the congregation, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
• 43. Then Moses and Aaron came before the tent of meeting.
• 44. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
• 45. Arise from this congregation, that I may consume it in a moment. And they fell on their faces.
• 46. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take thy censer, and put fire thereon from the altar, and put incense upon it, and carry it hastily unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for the wrath of the Lord has gone out; the plague has already begun.
• 47. And Aaron took his censer, as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and behold, the plague had begun among the people; and he put incense in it and made atonement for the people.
• 48. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague stopped.
• 49. Now those who died from that plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died because of Korah.
• 50. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tent of meeting, after the plague had ceased.

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