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Numbers 16
1599 Geneva Bible

16 1 The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 31 Korah and his company perisheth. 41 The people the next day murmur. 49 14,700 are slain for murmuring.

1 Now (A)Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi [a]went apart with Dathan, and Abiram the son of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, the sons of Reuben:

2 And they rose up [b]against Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty captains of the assembly, (B)famous in the Congregation, and men of renown,

3 Who gathered themselves together against Moses, and against Aaron, and said unto them, [c]Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the Congregation is holy, [d]every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye yourselves above the Congregation of the Lord?

4 But when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face,

5 And spake to Korah and unto all his company, saying, Tomorrow the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and who ought to approach near unto him: and whom he hath [e]chosen, he will cause to come near to him.

6 This do therefore, Take you censers, both Korah and all his company,

7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow: and the man whom the Lord doth choose, the same shall be holy: [f]ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

8 Again Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi.

9 Seemeth it a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath 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 unto them?

10 He hath also taken thee to [g]him, and all thy brethren, the sons of Levi with thee, and seek ye the office of the Priest also?

11 For which cause, thou, and all thy company are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

12 ¶ And Moses sent to call Dathan, and Abiram the sons of Eliab: who answered, We will not come up.

13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us out [h]of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself lord and ruler over us also?

14 Also thou hast not brought us unto a land that floweth with milk and honey, neither given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou [i]put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15 Then Moses waxed very angry, and said unto the Lord, (C)Look not unto their offering: I have not taken so much as an ass from them, neither have I hurt any of them.

16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company [j]before the Lord: both thou, they, and Aaron tomorrow.

17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye every man his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers: thou also and Aaron, every one his censer.

18 So they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all the [k]multitude against them unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation: then the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the Congregation.

20 And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying,

21 Separate yourselves from among this Congregation, that I may consume them at once.

22 And they fell upon their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits [l]of all flesh, hath not one man only sinned, and wilt thou be wroth with all the Congregation?

23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the Congregation, and say, Get you away from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25 Then Moses rose up, and went unto Dathan and Abiram, and the Elders of Israel followed him.

26 And he spake unto the Congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye perish [m]in all their sins.

27 So they got them away from the Tabernacle 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, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works: for I have not done them of mine own [n]mind.

29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, the Lord hath not sent me.

30 But if the Lord make [o]a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up with all that they have, and they go down quick into [p][q]the pit: then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord.

31 ¶ And as soon as he had made an end of speaking all the words, even the ground clave asunder that was under them,

32 And the earth (D)opened her mouth, and swallowed them up with their families, and all the men that 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 that were about 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 and fifty men that offered the incense.

36 ¶ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the Priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire beyond the altar: for they are hallowed,

38 The censers, I say, of these sinners, that destroyed [r]themselves: and let them make of them broad plates for a covering of the Altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they shall be holy, and they shall be a [s]sign unto the children of Israel.

39 Then Eleazar the Priest took the brazen censers, which they that were burnt had offered, and made broad plates of them for a covering of the Altar.

40 It is a remembrance 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 like [t]Korah and his company, as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

41 ¶ But on the morrow all the multitude of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.

42 And when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, then they [u]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 were come before the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

44 ¶ And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

45 Get you up from among this Congregation: for I will consume them quickly: then they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take the censer and put fire therein of the [v]Altar, and put therein incense, and go quickly unto the Congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord: the plague is begun.

47 Then Aaron took as Moses commanded him, and ran into the midst of the Congregation, and behold, the [w]plague was begun among the people, and he put incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48 And when he stood between the dead, and them that were alive, the [x]plague was stayed.

49 So they died of this plague fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died in the conspiracy of Korah.

50 And Aaron went again unto Moses before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the plague was stayed.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 16:1 Or, took others with him.
  2. Numbers 16:2 Or, before Moses.
  3. Numbers 16:3 Or let it suffice you: meaning, to have abused them thus long.
  4. Numbers 16:3 All are alike holy: therefore none ought to be preferred above others: thus the wicked reason against God’s ordinance.
  5. Numbers 16:5 To be the Priest and to offer.
  6. Numbers 16:7 He layeth the same to their charge justly, wherewith they wrongfully charged him.
  7. Numbers 16:10 To serve in the Congregation, as in the verse before.
  8. Numbers 16:13 Thus they spake contemptuously, preferring Egypt to Canaan.
  9. Numbers 16:14 Wilt thou make them that searched the land, believe that they saw not that which they saw?
  10. Numbers 16:16 At the door of the Tabernacle.
  11. Numbers 16:19 All that were of their faction.
  12. Numbers 16:22 Or, of every creature.
  13. Numbers 16:26 With them that have committed so many sins.
  14. Numbers 16:28 I have not forged them of mine own brain.
  15. Numbers 16:30 Or, show a strange sight.
  16. Numbers 16:30 Or, hell.
  17. Numbers 16:30 Or, deep and dark places of the earth.
  18. Numbers 16:38 Which were the occasion of their own death.
  19. Numbers 16:38 Of God’s judgments against rebels.
  20. Numbers 16:40 Who presumed above his vocation.
  21. Numbers 16:42 Or fled, to wit, Moses and Aaron.
  22. Numbers 16:46 For it was not lawful to take any other fire, but of the altar of burnt offering, Lev. 10:1.
  23. Numbers 16:47 God had begun to punish the people.
  24. Numbers 16:48 God drew back his hand and ceased to punish them.
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Numbers 16
New International Version

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] 2 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) 3 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)

4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.(J) 5 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. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers(N) are to do this: Take censers(O) 7 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!”

8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 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]

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.
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