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Numbers 16:38-40
New King James Version
Numbers 16:38-40
New King James Version
38 The censers of (A)these men who sinned [a]against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the Lord, therefore they are holy; (B)and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40 to be a [b]memorial to the children of Israel (C)that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.
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- Numbers 16:38 Or at the cost of their own lives
- Numbers 16:40 reminder
Numbers 16:38-40
King James Version
Numbers 16:38-40
King James Version
38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:
40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.
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Numbers 16:38-40
English Standard Version
Numbers 16:38-40
English Standard Version
38 As for the censers of (A)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. (B)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 (C)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.
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Numbers 16:38-40
New International Version
Numbers 16:38-40
New International Version
38 the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.(A) Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar,(B) for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign(C) to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest(D) collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death,(E) 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(F) before the Lord,(G) or he would become like Korah and his followers.(H)
Numbers 16:38-40
New American Standard Bible
Numbers 16:38-40
New American Standard Bible
38 As for the censers of these [a]men who have sinned at the cost of their own lives, have them made into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, since they did present them before the Lord and they are holy; and (A)they shall [b]serve as a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39 So the priest Eleazar took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as plating for the altar, 40 as a reminder to the sons of Israel so that (B)no [c]layman, anyone who was not of the [d]descendants of Aaron, would approach (C)to burn incense before the Lord; then he would not become like Korah and his group—just as the Lord had spoken to him [e]through Moses.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 16:38 Lit sinners against their lives
- Numbers 16:38 Lit be for a
- Numbers 16:40 Lit stranger
- Numbers 16:40 Lit seed
- Numbers 16:40 Lit by the hand of
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.