Numbers:16

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* 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 ; * and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel , two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation , representatives of the congregation , men of renown . * They gathered together against Moses and Aaron , and said to them , "You take too much upon yourselves , for all the congregation is holy , every one of them , and the LORD is among them . Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD ?" * So when Moses heard it , he fell on his face ; * and he spoke to Korah and all his company , saying , "Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy , and will cause him to come near to Him . That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him . * Do this : Take censers , Korah and all your company ; * put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow , and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one . You take too much upon yourselves , you sons of Levi !" * Then Moses said to Korah , "Hear now , you sons of Levi : * 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 work of the tabernacle of the LORD , and to stand before the congregation to serve them ; * and that He has brought you near to Himself , you and all your brethren , the sons of Levi , with you ? And are you seeking the priesthood also ? * Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD . And what is Aaron that you complain against him ?" * And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab , but they said , "We will not come up ! * 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 , that you should keep acting like a prince over us ? * Moreover you have not 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 !" * Then Moses was very angry , and said to the LORD , "Do not respect their offering . I have not taken one donkey from them , nor have I hurt one of them ." * And Moses said to Korah , "Tomorrow , you and all your company be present before the LORD--you and they , as well as Aaron . * Let each take his censer and put incense in it , and each of you bring his censer before the LORD , two hundred and fifty censers ; both you and Aaron , each with his censer ." * So every man took his censer , put fire in it , laid incense on it , and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron . * And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting . Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation . * And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron , saying , * "Separate yourselves from among this congregation , that I may consume them in a moment ." * Then they fell on their faces , and said , "O God , the God of the spirits of all flesh , shall one man sin , and You be angry with all the congregation ?" * So the LORD spoke to Moses , saying , * "Speak to the congregation , saying , "Get away from the tents of Korah , Dathan , and Abiram ."' * Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram , and the elders of Israel followed him . * And he spoke to the congregation , saying , "Depart now from the tents of these wicked men ! Touch nothing of theirs , lest you be consumed in all their sins ." * So they got away from around the tents of Korah , Dathan , and Abiram ; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents , with their wives , their sons , and their little children . * And Moses said : "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works , for I have not done them of my own will . * If these men die naturally like all men , or if they are visited by the common fate of all men , then the LORD has not sent me . * But if the LORD creates a new thing , and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them , and they go down alive into the pit , then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD ." * Now it came to pass , as he finished speaking all these words , that the ground split apart under them , * and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up , with their households and all the men with Korah , with all their goods . * So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit ; the earth closed over them , and they perished from among the assembly . * Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry , for they said , "Lest the earth swallow us up also !" * And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense . * Then the LORD spoke to Moses , saying : * "Tell Eleazar , the son of Aaron the priest , to pick up the censers out of the blaze , for they are holy , and scatter the fire some distance away . * The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls , let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar . Because they presented them before the LORD , therefore they are holy ; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel ." * So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers , which those who were burned up had presented , and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar , * to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider , who is not a descendant of Aaron , should come near to offer incense before the LORD , that he might not become like Korah and his companions , just as the LORD had said to him through Moses . * On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron , saying , "You have killed the people of the LORD ." * Now it happened , when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron , that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting ; and suddenly the cloud covered it , and the glory of the LORD appeared . * Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting . * And the LORD spoke to Moses , saying , * "Get away from among this congregation , that I may consume them in a moment ." And they fell on their faces . * So Moses said to Aaron , "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar , put incense on it , and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them ; for wrath has gone out from the LORD . The plague has begun ." * Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded , and ran into the midst of the assembly ; and already the plague had begun among the people . So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people . * And he stood between the dead and the living ; so the plague was stopped . * Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred , besides those who died in the Korah incident . * So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting , for the plague had stopped .

---