Numbers 16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Korah Incites Rebellion
16 Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi,(A) with Dathan and Abiram,(B) sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took 2 250 prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. 3 They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have gone too far![a] Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them.(C) Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to Him, who is set apart, and the one He will let come near(D) Him. He will let the one He chooses come near Him. 6 Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow 7 place fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord.(E) Then the man the Lord chooses will be the one who is set apart.(F) It is you Levites who have gone too far!”[b]
8 Moses also told Korah, “Now listen, Levites! 9 Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to Himself, to perform the work at the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them? 10 He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are seeking the priesthood as well. 11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the Lord!(G) As for Aaron, who is he[c] that you should complain about him?”
12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? 14 Furthermore, you didn’t bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”
15 Then Moses became angry and said to the Lord, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.” 16 So Moses told Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you, they, and Aaron. 17 Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the Lord—250 firepans. You and Aaron are each to present your firepan also.”
18 Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron. 19 After Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. 20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this community so I may consume them instantly.”(H)
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “God, God of the spirits[d](I) of all flesh, when one man sins, will You vent Your wrath on the whole community?”(J)
23 The Lord replied to Moses, 24 “Tell the community: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He warned the community, “Get away now from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, children, and infants.
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me(K) to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: 29 If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord.”
31 Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people,(L) and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly. 34 At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled because they thought, “The earth may swallow us too!” 35 Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense.(M)
36 [e]Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away. 38 As for the firepans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord, and the firepans are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze firepans that those who were burned had presented, and they were hammered into plating for the altar, 40 just as the Lord commanded him through Moses. It was to be a reminder for the Israelites that no unauthorized person outside the lineage of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the Lord(N) and become like Korah and his followers.
41 The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron,(O) saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!” 42 When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the Lord’s glory appeared.
43 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord said to Moses, 45 “Get away from this community so that I may consume them instantly.”(P) But they fell facedown.
46 Then Moses told Aaron, “Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted. 49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident. 50 Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted.(Q)
Footnotes
- Numbers 16:3 Lit Enough of you
- Numbers 16:7 Lit Enough of you, sons of Levi
- Numbers 16:11 Or Aaron, what has he done
- Numbers 16:22 Or breath; Nm 27:16
- Numbers 16:36 Nm 17:1 in Hb
Numbers 16
Revised Geneva Translation
16 Now Korah (the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi) went with Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab) and On (the son of Peleth), sons of Reuben.
2 And they rose up against Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty captains of the assembly, famous in the Congregation and men of renown.
3 They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You take too much upon yourself, seeing all the Congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD among them. Why then do you lift yourselves above the Congregation of the LORD?”
4 But when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face
5 and spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, “Tomorrow, the LORD will show who is His and who is holy and who ought to approach Him. And whom He has chosen, He will cause to come near Him.
6 “Do this: Take censers, Korah and all his company,
7 “and put fire and incense in them before the LORD tomorrow. And the man whom the LORD chooses, the same shall be holy. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!”
8 Again Moses said to Korah, “Please hear, you sons of Levi.
9 “Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the multitude of Israel, to take you near to Himself to do the service of the Tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the Congregation and to minister to them.
10 “And that He has taken you and all your brothers to Himself, you and the sons of Levi? And yet you seek also the office of the Priest?
11 “For which cause, you and all your company have gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron, that you murmur against him?”
12 And Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, who answered, “We will not come up.
13 “Is it a small thing that you have brought us out of a land that flows with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, unless you make yourself lord and ruler over us?
14 “Also, you have not brought us to a land that flows with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.”
15 Then Moses became very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not look upon their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them. Nor have I hurt any of them.”
16 And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company be before the LORD tomorrow — you, they, and Aaron.
17 “And every man take his censer and put incense in it, and every man bring his censer before the LORD (two hundred and fifty censers), including you and Aaron, everyone his censer.”
18 So every man took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and stood in the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with Moses and Aaron.
19 And Korah gathered the whole multitude against them at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. Then the Glory of the LORD appeared to all the Congregation.
20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
21 “Separate yourselves from among this Congregation, so that I may consume them at once.”
22 And they fell upon their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, has not only one man sinned? And will You be angry with all the Congregation?”
23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “Speak to the Congregation, and say, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
25 Then Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram. And the elders of Israel followed him.
26 And he spoke to the Congregation, saying, “Please depart from the tents of these wicked men! And touch nothing of theirs, lest you perish in all their sins!”
27 So they got away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the door of their tents, with their wives and their sons and their little children.
28 And Moses said, “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works. For I have not done them of my own will.
29 “If these men die the common death of all men, or if they are visited after the visitation of all men, the LORD has not sent me.
30 “But if the LORD makes a new thing, and the Earth opens her mouth and swallows them up with all that they have. And they go down quickly into the pit, then you shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.”
31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart.
32 And the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, with their families and all the men who were with Korah and all their goods.
33 So they and all that they had went down, alive, into the pit. And the earth covered them. So they perished from among the Congregation.
34 And all Israel who were around them fled at the cry of them. For they said, “Let us flee, lest the Earth swallow us up!”
35 But there came out a fire from the LORD and consumed the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.
36 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
37 “Speak to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, so that he takes up the censers out of the burning and scatters the fire beyond the Altar. For they are hallowed,
38 “the censers of these sinners against themselves. And let them make broad plates from them, for a covering of the Altar. For they offered them before the LORD. Therefore, they shall be Holy. And they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.”
39 Then Eleazar the Priest took the brazen censers which those who were burnt had offered and made broad plates from them, for a covering of the Altar.
40 It is a remembrance to the children of Israel that no stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron comes near to offer incense before the LORD, so that he is not like Korah and his company, as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
41 But the next day all the multitude of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.”
42 And when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, then they turned their faces toward the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And behold, the cloud covered it. And the Glory of the LORD appeared.
43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
45 “Get away from among this Congregation. For I will consume them quickly.” Then they fell upon their faces.
46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire in it from the Altar. And put incense in it. And go quickly to the Congregation and make an atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.”
47 Then Aaron took as Moses commanded him and ran into the midst of the Congregation. And behold, the plague had begun among the people. And he put in the incense and made an atonement for the people.
48 And when he stood between the dead and those who were alive, the plague was stopped.
49 So fourteen thousand seven hundred died of this plague, in addition to those who died in the conspiracy of Korah.
50 And Aaron again went to Moses before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the plague was stopped.
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