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Korah’s Rebellion

16 Korah (son of Izhar), Dathan and Abiram (sons of Eliab), and On (son of Peleth) dared to challenge Moses.[a] (Korah was a descendant of Kohath and Levi. Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben.) These four men were joined by 250 Israelite men, well-known leaders of the community, chosen by the assembly. They came together to confront Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You’ve gone far enough! Everyone in the whole community is holy, and Yahweh is among them. Why do you set yourselves above Yahweh’s assembly?”

As soon as Moses heard this, he bowed with his face touching the ground. Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “In the morning Yahweh will show who belongs to him, who is holy, and who it is that he will allow to come near him. Only the person Yahweh chooses will be allowed to come near him. Korah, you and all your followers must do this tomorrow: Take incense burners, and put burning coals and incense in them in Yahweh’s presence. Then Yahweh will choose the man who is holy. You’ve gone far enough!”

Moses also said to Korah, “Listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the Elohim of Israel has separated you from the rest of the community of Israel? Yahweh has brought you near himself to do the work for his tent and stand in front of the community to serve them. 10 He has brought you and all the other Levites near himself, but now you demand to be priests. 11 So you and all your followers have joined forces against Yahweh! Who is Aaron that you should complain about him?”

12 Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. But they said, “We won’t come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey only to kill us in the desert? Do you also have to order us around? 14 Certainly you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us any fields and vineyards to own. Do you think you can still pull the wool over our eyes? We won’t come.”

15 Moses became angry and said to Yahweh, “Don’t accept their offering. I haven’t taken anything from them, not even a donkey. And I haven’t mistreated any of them.”

16 Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and all your followers must come into Yahweh’s presence. Aaron will also be there with you. 17 Each man will take his incense burner and put incense in it. They will offer all 250 incense burners to Yahweh. Then you and Aaron offer your incense burners.”

18 So each man took his incense burner, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers—those who opposed Moses and Aaron—at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole group.

20 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Move away from these men, and I’ll destroy them in an instant.” 22 Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said, “O El, you are the Elohim who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?”

23 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 24 “Tell the community: Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the leaders of Israel followed him. 26 He said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you’ll be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children.

28 Moses said, “This is how you will know that Yahweh sent me to do all these things and that it wasn’t my idea: 29 If these men die like all other people—if they die a natural death—then Yahweh hasn’t sent me. 30 But if Yahweh does something totally new—if the ground opens up, swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive to their graves—then you’ll know that these men have treated Yahweh with contempt.”

31 As soon as he had finished saying all this, the ground under them split, 32 and the earth opened up to swallow them, their families, the followers of Korah, and all their property. 33 They went down alive to their graves with everything that belonged to them. The ground covered them, and so they disappeared from the assembly. 34 All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their screams. They thought the ground would swallow them, too.

35 Fire came from Yahweh and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense.[b]

36 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, to take the incense burners out of the fire and scatter the coals and incense somewhere else, because the incense burners have become holy. 38 The incense burners of these men who sinned and lost their lives are holy, because they were offered to Yahweh. Hammer them into thin metal sheets to cover the altar. This will be a sign to the Israelites.”

39 So the priest Eleazar took the bronze incense burners which had been brought by those who had been burned to death. The incense burners were then hammered into thin metal sheets to cover the altar, 40 following the command that Yahweh had given through Moses. The bronze-covered altar will remind Israel that no one but a descendant of Aaron can come near to burn incense to Yahweh. Everyone else will die like Korah and his followers.

41 The next day the whole community of Israel complained to Moses and Aaron. They said, “You have killed Yahweh’s people.” 42 The community came together to confront Moses and Aaron. When they turned toward the tent of meeting, they saw the smoke covering it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.

43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting. 44 Yahweh said to Moses, 45 “Get away from these people, and let me destroy them in an instant!” Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground.

46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your incense burner, put burning coals from the altar and incense in it, and go quickly into the community to make peace with the Lord for the people. Yahweh is showing his anger; a plague has started.”

47 Aaron took his incense burner, as Moses told him, and ran into the middle of the assembly, because the plague had already begun among the people. He put incense on the incense burner to make peace with the Lord for the people. 48 He stood between those who had died and those who were still alive, and the plague stopped. 49 Still, 14,700 died from the plague in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50 By the time Aaron came back to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the plague had stopped.

Aaron’s Staff Grows

17 [c]Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites, and get 12 staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their tribes.[d] Write each man’s name on his staff. Write Aaron’s name on the staff for Levi because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe. Put them in the tent of meeting where I meet with you, in front of the words of my promise. The staff from the man I choose will begin to grow. In this way I will silence the frequent complaints the Israelites make against you and Aaron.”

So Moses spoke to the Israelites. Their leaders gave him 12 staffs, one from the leader of each of their tribes. Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses put the staffs in Yahweh’s presence in the tent of the words of God’s promise.

The next day Moses went into the tent. He found that Aaron’s staff for the tribe of Levi had not only begun to grow, but it had also blossomed and produced ripe almonds. Moses brought out the staffs fromYahweh’s presence and showed them to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each man took his staff.

10 Yahweh said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the words of my promise, and keep it there as a sign to warn any other rebels. Then you will stop their complaints about me, and they won’t die.”

11 Moses did exactly what Yahweh commanded him to do.

12 The Israelites said to Moses, “Now we’re going to die! We’re lost! We’re all lost! 13 Anyone who comes near Yahweh’s tent will die! Are we all going to die?”

The Duties of the Levites and Priests

18 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family will be responsible for any sins against the holy place. You and your sons will also be responsible for any sins you commit when you work as priests. Bring the other Levites from your ancestor’s tribe to join you and help you and your sons serve in front of the tent of the words of my promise. They will work for you, doing whatever work is necessary for the whole tent. But they must not come near the altar or the furnishings in the holy place, or they will die, and you will die, too. They will join you and do whatever work is necessary for the tent of meeting, including all the maintenance work for the tent. But no one else may come near you.

“You must be in charge of the work done at the holy place and at the altar. Then I won’t show my anger against the Israelites again. I have chosen the other Levites from among the Israelites to help you. They are a gift given to Yahweh to do whatever work is necessary at the tent of meeting. Only you and your sons may do the work of priests—everything done at the altar and under the canopy. This is my gift to you: You may serve me as priests. Anyone else who comes near the holy place to do this work must die.”

Contributions for the Levites and Priests

Yahweh said to Aaron, “I am putting you in charge of all the contributions given to me. I am giving you and your descendants all the holy gifts from the Israelites as your share. These contributions will always be yours. That part of the most holy offerings which is not burned belongs to you. It may come from a grain offering, an offering for sin, or a guilt offering. Whatever is brought to me as a most holy offering will belong to you and your sons. 10 Eat it in a most holy place. Any male may eat it. You must consider it holy.

11 “The contributions that come as gifts taken from the offerings presented by the Israelites are also yours. I am giving these to you, your sons, and your daughters. They will always be yours. Anyone in your household who is clean[e] may eat them.

12 “I am also giving you the first of the produce they give Yahweh: the best of all the olive oil and the best of the new wine and fresh grain. 13 The first of all produce harvested in their land that they bring to Yahweh is yours. Anyone in your household who is clean may eat it.

14 “Anything in Israel that is claimed by the Lord is yours. 15 Every firstborn male, human or animal, that is brought to Yahweh is yours. But you must buy back every firstborn son and the firstborn male of any unclean animal. 16 When they are one month old, you must buy them back at the fixed price of two ounces of silver, using the standard weight of the holy place.

17 “But you must never buy back a firstborn ox, sheep, or goat. They are holy. Throw the blood from these animals against the altar, and burn the fat as an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 18 But the meat is yours, like the breast and the right thigh that are presented. 19 I am giving you, your sons, and your daughters all the holy contributions the Israelites bring to Yahweh. These contributions will always be yours. It is an everlasting promise of salt in Yahweh’s presence for you and your descendants.”

20 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will have no land or property of your own as the other Israelites will have. I am your possession and your property among the Israelites.

21 “I am giving the Levites one-tenth of every Israelite’s income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting. 22 The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they’ll suffer the consequences of their sin and die. 23 Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for their own sins. This is a permanent law for future generations. They will own no property as the other Israelites will. 24 Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to Yahweh—one-tenth of the Israelites’ income. This is why I said about them, ‘They will own no property as the other Israelites do.’”

25 Yahweh said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: You will take one-tenth of the Israelites’ income which I’m giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute one-tenth of that income as your contribution to Yahweh. 27 Your contribution will be considered to be grain from the threshing floor[f] or juice from the winepress. 28 So you, too, will contribute one-tenth of your income to Yahweh out of all that you receive from the Israelites’ income. You will give Yahweh’s contribution to the priest Aaron. 29 Out of all the gifts you receive, you must contribute the best and holiest parts to Yahweh.

30 “Also tell them: When you contribute the best part, your contribution will be considered to be produce from the threshing floor or winepress. 31 So you and your households may eat it anywhere, because it’s the wages you receive for your work at the tent of meeting. 32 When you contribute the best part, you won’t suffer the consequences of any sin. You won’t be dishonoring the holy offerings given by the Israelites, and you won’t die.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 16:1 The beginning of verse 2 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 1 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English.
  2. Numbers 16:35 Numbers 16:36–50 in English Bibles is Numbers 17:1–15 in the Hebrew Bible.
  3. Numbers 17:1 Numbers 17:1–13 in English Bibles is Numbers 17:16–28 in the Hebrew Bible.
  4. Numbers 17:2 There is a play on words here. Hebrew matteh can mean “staff” or “tribe.”
  5. Numbers 18:11 “Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to God.
  6. Numbers 18:27 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.

Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16 Korah(A) son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram(B), sons of Eliab,(C) and On son of Peleth—became insolent[a] and rose up against Moses.(D) With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.(E) They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron(F) and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,(G) every one of them, and the Lord is with them.(H) Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”(I)

When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.(J) Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy,(K) and he will have that person come near him.(L) The man he chooses(M) he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers(N) are to do this: Take censers(O) and tomorrow put burning coals(P) and incense(Q) in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses(R) will be the one who is holy.(S) You Levites have gone too far!”

Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! Isn’t it enough(T) for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?(U) 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.(V) 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble(W) against him?(X)

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram,(Y) the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!(Z) 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey(AA) to kill us in the wilderness?(AB) And now you also want to lord it over us!(AC) 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey(AD) or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.(AE) Do you want to treat these men like slaves[b]?(AF) No, we will not come!(AG)

15 Then Moses became very angry(AH) and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey(AI) from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.(AJ) 17 Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.(AK) 18 So each of them took his censer,(AL) put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19 When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them(AM) at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord(AN) appeared to the entire assembly. 20 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves(AO) from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”(AP)

22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown(AQ) and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things,(AR) will you be angry with the entire assembly(AS) when only one man sins?”(AT)

23 Then the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel(AU) followed him. 26 He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!(AV) Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away(AW) because of all their sins.(AX) 27 So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.(AY) Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children(AZ) and little ones at the entrances to their tents.(BA)

28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know(BB) that the Lord has sent me(BC) to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29 If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.(BD) 30 But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth(BE) and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead,(BF) then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.(BG)

31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart(BH) 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them(BI) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the realm of the dead,(BJ) with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34 At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

35 And fire came out from the Lord(BK) and consumed(BL) the 250 men who were offering the incense.

36 The Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Eleazar(BM) son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers(BN) from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— 38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.(BO) Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar,(BP) for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign(BQ) to the Israelites.”

39 So Eleazar the priest(BR) collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death,(BS) and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense(BT) before the Lord,(BU) or he would become like Korah and his followers.(BV)

41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.

42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition(BW) to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord(BX) appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end(BY) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer(BZ) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly(CA) to make atonement(CB) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;(CC) the plague(CD) has started.” 47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,(CE) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.(CF) 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.(CG) 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.[c]

The Budding of Aaron’s Staff

17 [d]The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs(CH) from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes.(CI) Write the name of each man on his staff. On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name,(CJ) for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. Place them in the tent of meeting(CK) in front of the ark of the covenant law,(CL) where I meet with you.(CM) The staff belonging to the man I choose(CN) will sprout,(CO) and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling(CP) against you by the Israelites.”

So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.(CQ)

The next day Moses entered the tent(CR) and saw that Aaron’s staff,(CS) which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.(CT) Then Moses brought out all the staffs(CU) from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.

10 The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff(CV) in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.(CW) This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.

12 The Israelites said to Moses, “We will die! We are lost, we are all lost!(CX) 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die.(CY) Are we all going to die?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary,(CZ) and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister(DA) before the tent of the covenant law. They are to be responsible to you(DB) and are to perform all the duties of the tent,(DC) but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.(DD) They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.(DE)

“You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,(DF) so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,(DG) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.(DH) But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.(DI) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.(DJ) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.(DK)

Offerings for Priests and Levites

Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion,(DL) your perpetual share.(DM) You are to have the part of the most holy offerings(DN) that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain(DO) or sin[e](DP) or guilt offerings,(DQ) that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it.(DR) You must regard it as holy.(DS)

11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings(DT) of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share.(DU) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean(DV) may eat it.

12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain(DW) they give the Lord(DX) as the firstfruits of their harvest.(DY) 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours.(DZ) Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.(EA)

14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted[f] to the Lord(EB) is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours.(EC) But you must redeem(ED) every firstborn(EE) son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.(EF) 16 When they are a month old,(EG) you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[g](EH) of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel,(EI) which weighs twenty gerahs.(EJ)

17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy.(EK) Splash their blood(EL) against the altar and burn their fat(EM) as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(EN) 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering(EO) and the right thigh are yours.(EP) 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy(EQ) offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt(ER) before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”

20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them;(ES) I am your share and your inheritance(ET) among the Israelites.

21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes(EU) in Israel as their inheritance(EV) in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.(EW) 22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the tent of meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die.(EX) 23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. This is a lasting ordinance(EY) for the generations to come.(EZ) They will receive no inheritance(FA) among the Israelites.(FB) 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord.(FC) That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you(FD) as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.(FE) 27 Your offering will be reckoned(FF) to you as grain from the threshing floor(FG) or juice from the winepress.(FH) 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes(FI) you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

30 “Say to the Levites: ‘When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.(FJ) 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the tent of meeting.(FK) 32 By presenting the best part(FL) of it you will not be guilty in this matter;(FM) then you will not defile the holy offerings(FN) of the Israelites, and you will not die.’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 16:1 Or Peleth—took men
  2. Numbers 16:14 Or to deceive these men; Hebrew Will you gouge out the eyes of these men
  3. Numbers 16:50 In Hebrew texts 16:36-50 is numbered 17:1-15.
  4. Numbers 17:1 In Hebrew texts 17:1-13 is numbered 17:16-28.
  5. Numbers 18:9 Or purification
  6. Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  7. Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams