THE FOURTH BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
N U M B E R S
Numbers 16 ©
Korah, Dathan and Abiram raise a sedition against Moses and Aaron, v. 1, etc. How Moses carried himself against it, 4. The seditious persons are fearfully punished by God, 31. Their censers are kept for remembrance and warning, 36. The people murmur about the destruction of the rebels, by reason whereof 14,700 are consumed by fire, 41. Aaron, by Moses’ order, makes the plague to cease, 46.
NOWa1Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and 2On, the son of Peleth, 3sons of Reuben, took men:
And they 4rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty 5princes of the assembly, 6famous in the congregation, 7men of renown:
And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, 8Ye 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 9yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
And when Moses heard it, he 10fell upon his face:
And he 11spake unto Korah and unto all his 12company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew 13who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath 14chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD 15to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: 16ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to 17bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
¶And Moses sent 18to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which 19said, We will not come up:
Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a 20land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself 21altogether a prince over us?
Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land 22that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the 23eyes of these men? we will not come up.
And Moses 24was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, 25Respect not thou their offering: Ib have not taken 26one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
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.
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.
And Korah gathered all the congregation against 27them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the 28glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a 29moment.
And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God ofc the 30spirits of all 31flesh, shall 32one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
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 33in all their sins.
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, 34and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; 35for I have not done them of mine own mind.
If these men die the 36common death of all men, or if they be 37visited after the visitation of all men; 38then the LORD hath not sent me.
But if the LORD make a 39new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quickd into the 40pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
¶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:
And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowede them up, and their houses, and 41all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
They, and 42all that appertained to them, went down alive into the 43pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the 44two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire 45yonder; for 46they are hallowed.
The censers of 47these sinners against their own souls, let them make them 48broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a 49sign unto the children of Israel.
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:
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 50be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD 51said to him by the 52hand of Moses.
¶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.
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 53cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
¶And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
54Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And 55they fell upon their faces.
¶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 56make an atonement for them: for there is 57wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
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.
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was 58stayed.
Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the 59matter of Korah.
And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.