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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 [men]:² and they rose up before Moses, with certain of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown;³ and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, You take too much on yourselves, for everyone in the entire congregation is holy and Yahweh is among them: why then do you lift up yourselves above the assembly of Yahweh?⁴ And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face:⁵ and he spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, 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: you take censers, Korah, and all his company;⁷ and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Yahweh chooses, he [shall be] holy: you take too much on yourselves, you sons of Levi.⁸ And Moses said to Korah, Hear now, you sons of Levi:⁹ [does it seem but] 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 the tabernacle of Yahweh, 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 you seek the priesthood also?¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Yahweh: and Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?

¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, We will not 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 must you surely 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 will not come up.¹⁵ And Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, Don't respect their offering: I haven't taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.¹⁶ And Moses said to Korah, You and all your company are to be before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:¹⁷ and you take every man his censer, and put incense on them, and you bring before Yahweh every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.¹⁸ And 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 Moses and Aaron.¹⁹ And Korah assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the tent of meeting: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the congregation.²⁰ And Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,²¹ Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.²² And they fell on their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?

²³ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,²⁴ Speak to the congregation, saying, You get up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.²⁵ And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or else you will be consumed in all their sins.²⁷ So they got up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.²⁸ And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of my own mind.²⁹ If these die the common death of all of man, or if they be visited after the visitation of all of man; then Yahweh has not sent me.³⁰ But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.³¹ And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;³² and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all of man that belonged to Korah, and all their goods.³³ So they, and all that belonged to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.³⁴ And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said, If we don't, the earth will swallow us up.

³⁵ And fire came forth from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense.³⁶ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,³⁷ Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he takes up the censers out of the burning, and you scatter the fire yonder; for they are holy,³⁸ even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made into beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Yahweh; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the sons of Israel.³⁹ And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,⁴⁰ to be a memorial to the sons of Israel, to the end that no stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, comes near to burn incense before Yahweh; that he will 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 sons of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, You have killed the people of Yahweh.⁴² And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and saw that the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.⁴³ And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.⁴⁴ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,⁴⁵ You get up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell on their faces.⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, Take your 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 wrath has gone out from Yahweh; the plague has begun.⁴⁷ And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and saw that the plague had begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.⁴⁹ Now those that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those that died about the matter of Korah.⁵⁰ And Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed.