Numbers 16
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.