Numbers 16
English Standard Version
Korah's Rebellion
16 Now (A)Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and (B)Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. 2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 3 (C)They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, (D)“You have gone too far! For (E)all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4 When Moses heard it, (F)he fell on his face, 5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show (G)who is his,[a] and who is (H)holy, and will bring him near to him. The one (I)whom he chooses he will (J)bring near to him. 6 Do this: take (K)censers, Korah and all his company; 7 put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. (L)You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” 8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 is it (M)too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has (N)separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, 10 and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is (O)Aaron that you grumble against him?”
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. 13 Is it (P)a small thing that you have brought us up out of (Q)a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also (R)make yourself a prince over us? 14 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 And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, (S)“Do not respect their offering. (T)I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”
16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, (U)before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. 17 And (V)let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, (W)250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. (X)And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
20 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 21 (Y)“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them (Z)in a moment.” 22 And they (AA)fell on their faces and said, “O God, (AB)the God of the spirits of all flesh, (AC)shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, (AD)“Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood (AE)at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. 28 And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been (AF)of my own accord. 29 If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, (AG)then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new, and (AH)the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they (AI)go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”
31 (AJ)And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and (AK)all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and (AL)they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” 35 And (AM)fire came out from the Lord and consumed (AN)the 250 men offering the incense.
36 [b] Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. 38 As for the censers of (AO)these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. (AP)Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar, 40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so (AQ)that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel (AR)grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, (AS)the cloud covered it, and (AT)the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 (AU)“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” (AV)And they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for (AW)wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and (AX)the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, (AY)besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:5 Septuagint The Lord knows those who are his
- Numbers 16:36 Ch 17:1 in Hebrew
Bamidbar 16
Orthodox Jewish Bible
16 Now Korach ben Yitzhar ben Kehat ben Levi, and Datan and Aviram, the Bnei Eliav, and On ben Pelet, Bnei Reuven, became insolent;
2 And they rose up before Moshe, with certain of the Bnei Yisroel, two hundred and fifty Nasi’ei Edah, chosen from the assembly, men of renown;
3 And they gathered themselves together against Moshe and against Aharon, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing Kol HaEdah are Kadoshim, every one of them, and Hashem is among them; why then lift ye up yourselves above the Kehal Hashem?
4 And when Moshe heard it, he fell upon his face;
5 And he spoke unto Korach and unto all his edah, saying, In the boker Hashem will show who are His, and who is the kadosh; and will cause him to come near unto Him: even him whom He hath chosen will He cause to come near unto Him.
6 This do: take you fire pans, Korach, and all his edah;
7 And put eish therein, put ketoret in them before Hashem tomorrow; it shall be that the man whom Hashem doth choose, he shall be haKadosh; ye take too much upon you, ye Bnei Levi.
8 And Moshe said unto Korach, Hear, now, ye Bnei Levi:
9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that Elohei Yisroel hath separated you from the Adat Yisroel, to bring you near to Himself to do the Avodat Mishkan Hashem, and to stand before the Edah to minister unto them?
10 And He hath brought thee near to Him, and all thy brethren the Bnei Levi with thee; and seek ye the Kehunah also?
11 For which cause both thou and all thy edah are gathered together against Hashem; and what is Aharon, that ye murmur against him?
12 And Moshe sent to call Datan and Aviram, the Bnei Eliav, which said, We will not come up.
13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of an Eretz zavach cholov udevash, to kill us in the midbar, yet thou also keep trying to dominate us?
14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into an Eretz zavach cholov udevash, or given us nachalah of sadeh and kerem; wilt thou gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.
15 And Moshe was very angry, and said unto Hashem, Respect not thou their minchah; I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I wronged one of them.
16 And Moshe said unto Korach, Be thou and all thy edah before Hashem, thou, they, and Aharon, tomorrow;
17 And take every man his fire pan, put ketoret in them, and bring ye before Hashem every man his fire pan, 250 fire pans; thou also, and Aharon, each of you his fire pan.
18 And they took every man his fire pan and put eish in them and laid ketoret thereon, and stood in the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed with Moshe and Aharon.
19 And Korach gathered kol haedah against them unto the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed; and the Kavod Hashem appeared unto Kol HaEdah.
20 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon, saying,
21 Separate yourselves from among this edah, that I may consume them in a moment.
22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, El Elohei HaRuchot L’Chol Basar, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be angry with Kol HaEdah?
23 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
24 Speak unto HaEdah, saying, Get you up away from the mishkan Korach, Datan, and Aviram.
25 And Moshe rose up and went unto Datan and Aviram; and the Ziknei Yisroel followed him.
26 And he spoke unto HaEdah, saying, Move back, now, from the tents of these anashim resha’im, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their chattot.
27 So they moved back from the mishkan Korach, Datan, and Aviram, on every side; Datan and Aviram came out, and stood in the entrance of their tents, their wives, their banim, and their little ones.
28 And Moshe said, Hereby ye shall know that Hashem hath sent me to do all these ma’asim; for I have not done them of mine own will.
29 If these men die the common death of kol haAdam, or if they be visited after the visitation of kol haAdam, then Hashem hath not sent me.
30 But if Hashem creates a new thing, and haadamah open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down chayyim into Sheol; then ye shall have da’as that these men have spurned Hashem.
31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these devarim, that haadamah split asunder that was under them:
32 And ha’aretz opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, their batim (houses), all the men that were of Korach, and all their possessions.
33 They, and all that were of them, went down chayyim into Sheol, and ha’aretz closed over them; and they perished from the midst of the Kahal.
34 And Kol Yisroel that were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest ha’aretz swallow us up also.
35 And there came out from Hashem an eish, and consumed the 250 men that offered ketoret.
36 (17:1) And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying,
37 (17:2) Speak unto Eleazar ben Aharon HaKohen that he take up the fire pans out of the burning, and scatter thou the eish yonder; for they are set apart as kodesh.
38 (17:3) The fire pans of these chatta’im against their own nefashot, let them make them hammered-out sheets for a covering of the Mizbe’ach: for they offered them before Hashem, therefore they became kadosh; and they shall be an ot unto the Bnei Yisroel.
39 (17:4) And Eleazar HaKohen took the bronze fire pans, wherewith they that were burned had offered; and they made hammered-out sheets for an overlay of the Mizbe’ach:
40 (17:5) To be a memorial reminder unto the Bnei Yisroel, that no zar, which is not of the zera Aharon, encroach to offer ketoret before Hashem; that he be not as Korach, and as his edah, as Hashem said to him by the hand of Moshe.
41 (17:6) But the next day Kol Adat Bnei Yisroel murmured against Moshe and against Aharon, saying, Ye have killed the Am Hashem.
42 (17:7) And it came to pass, when HaEdah was gathered against Moshe and against Aharon, that they looked toward the Ohel Mo’ed; and, hinei, the Anan covered it, and the Kavod Hashem appeared.
43 (17:8) And Moshe and Aharon came before the Ohel Mo’ed.
44 (17:9) And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying,
45 (17:10) Get you away from among this edah, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46 (17:11) And Moshe said unto Aharon, Take a fire pan, and put eish therein from off the Mizbe’ach, and put ketoret, and go quickly unto HaEdah, and make kapporah for them; for there is Ketzef (Wrath) gone out from Hashem; the plague is begun.
47 (17:12) And Aharon took as Moshe commanded, and ran into the midst of the Kahal; and, hinei, the plague was begun among HaAm: and he offered ketoret, and made kapporah for HaAm.
48 (17:13) And he stood between the mesim and the chayyim; and the plague was stopped.
49 (17:14) Now they that were the mesim in the maggefah (plague) were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, in addition to those who were mesim by reason of Korach.
50 (17:15) And Aharon returned unto Moshe unto the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed; and the plague was stayed.
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