The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Numbers 16
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and
Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son
of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took some men.
2 They rose up before Moses, with some
of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty
princes of the congregation, called to the
assembly, men of renown.
3 They assembled themselves together
against Moses and against Aaron, and said
to them, “You take too much on yourself,
since all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Yahweh is among them!
Why do you lift yourselves up above Yahweh’s assembly?”
4 WhenMosesheard it, he fell onhis face.
5 He said to Korah and to all his company,
“In the morning, Yahweh will show who
are his, and who is holy, and will cause him
to come near to him. Even him whom he
shall choose, he will cause to come near to
him.
6 Do this: have Korah and all his company take censers,
7 put fire in them, and put incense on
them before Yahweh tomorrow. It shall be
that the man whom Yahweh chooses, he
shall be holy. You have gone too far, you
sons of Levi!”
8 Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you
sons of Levi!
9 Is it a small thing to you that the God of
Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself,
to do the service of Yahweh’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregationto minister to them;
10 and that he has brought you near, and
all your brothers the sons of Levi withyou?
Do you seek the priesthood also?
11 Therefore you and all your company
have gathered together against Yahweh!
What is Aaron that you complain against
him?”
12 Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram,
the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t
come up!
13 Is it a small thing that you have
brought us up out of a land flowing with
milk and honey,to kill us inthe wilderness,
but you must also make yourself a prince
over us?
14 Moreover you haven’t brought us into
a land flowing with milk and honey, nor
given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these
men? We won’t come up.”
15 Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering. I have
not taken one donkey from them, neither
have I hurt one of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your
company go before Yahweh, you, and they,
and Aaron, tomorrow.
17 Each man take his censer and put
incense on it, and each man bring before Yahweh his censer, two hundred fifty
censers; you also, and Aaron, each with his
censer.”
18 They each took his censer, and put fire
in it, and laid incense on it, and stood atthe
door ofthe Tent of Meeting with Moses and
Aaron.
19 Korah assembled all the congregation
opposite them to the door of the Tent of
Meeting. Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the congregation.
20 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron,
saying,
21 “Separate yourselves from among this
congregation, that I may consume them in
a moment!”
22 They fell on their faces, and said, “God,
the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one
man sin, and will you be angry with all the
congregation?”
23 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “Speak to the congregation, saying,
‘Get away from around the tent of Korah,
Dathan, and Abiram!’ ”
25 Moses rose up and wentto Dathan and
Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed
him.
26 He spoke to the congregation, saying,
“Depart, please, from the tents of these
wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs,
lest you be consumed in all their sins!”
27 So they went away from the tent of
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side.
Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood
at the door of their tents with their wives,
their sons, and their little ones.
28 Moses said, “Hereby you shall know
that Yahweh has sent me to do all these
works;for they arenotfrommy ownmind.
29 If these men die the common death of
all men, or if they experience what all men
experience, then Yahweh hasn’t sent me.
30 But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and
the ground opens its mouth, and swallows
them up with all that belong to them, and
they go down alive into Sheol,† then you
shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.”
31 As he finished speaking all these
words, the ground that was under them
split apart.
32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all
of Korah’s men, and all their goods.
33 So they, and all that belonged to them
went down alive into Sheol.‡ The earth
closed on them, and they perished from
among the assembly.
34 All Israel that were around them fled
at their cry; for they said, “Lest the earth
swallow us up!”
35 Fire came out from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who
offered the incense.
36 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
37 “Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the
priest,thathe takeup the censers out ofthe
burning, and scatter thefire away fromthe
camp; for they are holy,
38 even the censers of those who sinned
againsttheir ownlives. Letthem be beaten
into plates for a covering of the altar, for
they offered them before Yahweh. Therefore they are holy. They shall be a sign to
the children of Israel.”
39 Eleazar the priest took the bronze
censers which those who were burned had
offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,
40 to be a memorial to the children of
Israel, to the end that no stranger who isn’t
ofthe offspring of Aaron, would come near
to burn incense before Yahweh, that he
not be as Korah and as his company; as
Yahweh spoke to him by Moses.
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained
against Moses and against Aaron, saying,
“You have killed Yahweh’s people!”
42 When the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron,
they looked toward the Tent of Meeting.
Behold, the cloud covered it, and Yahweh’s
glory appeared.
43 Moses and Aaron came to the front of
the Tent of Meeting.
44 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!” They fell on their faces.
46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your
censer, put fire from the altar in it, lay
incense on it, carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them;
for wrath has gone out from Yahweh! The
plague has begun.”
47 Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into
the middle of the assembly. The plague
had already begun among the people. He
put on the incense, and made atonement
for the people.
48 He stood between the dead and the
living; and the plague was stayed.
49 Now those who died by the plague
were fourteen thousand seven hundred,
in addition to those who died about the
matter of Korah.
50 Aaron returned to Moses to the door
of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was
stopped.