1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of
Levi, and 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 certain of the children of Israel, two hundred
and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3 And
they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said
unto them, Ye take too
much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among
them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
4 And
when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5 And
he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD
will shew who are his, and who is holy;
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 censers, Korah, and all his company;
7 And
put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it
shall be that the
man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too
much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
8 And
Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God
of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near
to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before
the congregation to minister unto them?
10 And
he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the
sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11 For
which cause both 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: which said, We will
not come up:
13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought
us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the
wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
14 Moreover
thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given
us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these
men? we will not come up.
15 And
Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering:
I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
16 And
Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and
they, and Aaron, to morrow:
17 And
take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the
LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron,
each of you his
censer.
18 And
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 congregation against them unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the
congregation.
20 And
the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21 Separate
yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22 And
they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all
flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
23 And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 Speak
unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram.
25 And
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 be consumed in all their
sins.
27 So
they gat up 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, and 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 mind.
29 If
these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the
visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.
30 But
if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them
up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into
the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
31 And
it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the
ground clave asunder that was under them:
32 And
the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all
the men that appertained unto
Korah, and all their goods.
33 They,
and all that appertained to
them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they
perished from among the congregation.
34 And
all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of
them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
35 And
there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men
that offered 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 thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
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.
41 But
on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against
Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.
42 And
it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against
Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold,
the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43 And
Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
44 And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45 Get
you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment.
And they fell upon their faces.
46 And
Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar,
and put on 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 And
Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and,
behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made
an atonement for the people.
48 And
he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49 Now
they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside
them that died about the matter of Korah.
50 And
Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
and the plague was stayed.
