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¹ Now Korach, the son of Yitzhar, the son of Kehat, the son of Levi, with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av, and On, the son of Pelet, sons of Re'uven, took [men]: ² and they rose up before Moshe, with certain of the children of Yisra'el, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown; ³ and they assembled themselves together against Moshe and against Aharon, and said to them, You take too much on you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the LORD is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of the LORD? ⁴ When Moshe heard it, he fell on his face: ⁵ and he spoke to Korach and to all his company, saying, In the morning the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near to him. ⁶ This do: take you censers, Korach, and all his company; ⁷ and put fire in them, and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD does choose, he [shall be] holy: you take too much on you, you sons of Levi. ⁸ Moshe said to Korach, Hear now, you sons of Levi: ⁹ [seems it but] a small thing to you, that the God of Yisra'el has separated you from the congregation of Yisra'el, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tent of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; ¹⁰ and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? and seek you the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD: and Aharon, what is he who you murmur against him?

¹² Moshe sent to call Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av; 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 in the wilderness, but you must needs make yourself also 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 Moshe was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Don't respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them." ¹⁶ Moshe said to Korach, You and all your company go before the LORD, you, and they, and Aharon, tomorrow: ¹⁷ and take every man his censer, and put incense on them, and bring you before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aharon, each his censer. ¹⁸ They took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moshe and Aharon. ¹⁹ Korach assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the tent of meeting: and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. ²⁰ The LORD spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, 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 The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, ²⁴ Speak to the congregation, saying, Get away from around the tent of Korach, Datan, and Aviram. ²⁵ Moshe rose up and went to Datan and Aviram; and the Zakenim of Yisra'el followed him. ²⁶ He spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. ²⁷ So they got them up from the tent of Korach, Datan, and Aviram, on every side: and Datan and Aviram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸ Moshe said, Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of my 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 hasn't sent me. ³⁰ But if the LORD make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into She'ol; then you shall understand that these men have despised the LORD. ³¹ It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them; ³² and the eretz opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who appertained to Korach, and all their goods. ³³ So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into She'ol: and the eretz closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴ All Yisra'el that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the eretz swallow us up.

³⁵ Fire came forth from the LORD, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense. ³⁶ The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, ³⁷ Speak to El`azar the son of Aharon the Kohen, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter you the fire yonder; for they are holy, <sup>38</sup> even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Yisra'el. <sup>39</sup> El`azar the Kohen took the brazen censers, which those who were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, ⁴⁰ to be a memorial to the children of Yisra'el, to the end that no stranger, who isn't of the seed of Aharon, comes near to burn incense before the LORD; that he not be as Korach, and as his company: as the LORD spoke to him by Moshe.

⁴¹ But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Yisra'el murmured against Moshe and against Aharon, saying, You have killed the people of the LORD. ⁴² It happened, when the congregation was assembled against Moshe and against Aharon, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. ⁴³ Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴ The LORD spoke to Moshe, saying, ⁴⁵ Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. They fell on their faces. ⁴⁶ Moshe said to Aharon, Take they censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. ⁴⁷ Aharon took as Moshe spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and 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 and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korach. ⁵⁰ Aharon returned to Moshe to the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed.