Numbers:16-17

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* 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 : * 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 : * 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 ? * And when Moses heard it , he fell upon his face : * 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 . * This do ; Take you censers , Korah , and all his company ; * 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 . * 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 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 ? * 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 to call Dathan and Abiram , the sons of Eliab : which said , We will not come up : * 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 ? * 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 . * 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 . * 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 them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and the glory 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 moment . * 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 ? * 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 in 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 , and 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 ; for I have not done them of mine own mind . * 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 . * 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 . * 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 swallowed them up , and their houses , and all the men that appertained unto Korah , and all their goods . * 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 . * 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 two 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 yonder ; for they are hallowed . * 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 . * 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 be not as Korah , and as his company : as the LORD said to him by the hand 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 cloud 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 , * Get you up from among this congregation , that I may consume them as in a moment . And they 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 make an atonement for them : for there is wrath 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 stayed . * Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred , beside them that died about the matter of Korah . * And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : and the plague was stayed . * And the LORD spake unto Moses , saying , * Speak unto the children of Israel , and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers , of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods : write thou every man 's name upon his rod . * And thou shalt write Aaron 's name upon the rod of Levi : for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers . * And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony , where I will meet with you . * And it shall come to pass , that the man 's rod , whom I shall choose , shall blossom : and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel , whereby they murmur against you . * And Moses spake unto the children of Israel , and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece , for each prince one , according to their fathers ' houses , even twelve rods : and the rod of Aaron was among their rods . * And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness . * And it came to pass , that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness ; and , behold , the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded , and brought forth buds , and bloomed blossoms , and yielded almonds . * And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel : and they looked , and took every man his rod . * And the LORD said unto Moses , Bring Aaron 's rod again before the testimony , to be kept for a token against the rebels ; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me , that they die not . * And Moses did so : as the LORD commanded him , so did he . * And the children of Israel spake unto Moses , saying , Behold , we die , we perish , we all perish . * Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die : shall we be consumed with dying ? * And the LORD said unto Aaron , Thou and thy sons and thy father 's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary : and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood .

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