Chapter 16
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Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi took action, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben.
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They rose up before Moses—two hundred and fifty men from the sons of Israel, princes of the congregation, called to the tent of meeting, men of name.
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They assembled against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "It is too much for you, since the entire congregation—all of them—are holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"
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Moses heard and fell on his face.
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He spoke to Korah and to all his congregation, saying, "In the morning the LORD will show who is his and the holy one, and he will bring him near to himself. The one he chooses, he will bring near to himself."
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Do this: take censers for yourselves, Korah and all his followers.
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Put fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD tomorrow, and it will be that the man whom the LORD chooses—he is the holy one. Enough for you, sons of Levi.
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Moses said to Korah, "Please hear, sons of Levi."
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Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to him to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to serve them?
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He brought you near, along with all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. And now you seek the priesthood also.
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Therefore you and all your witness-group, the ones gathering against the LORD and Aaron—what is he that you complain against him?
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Moses sent messengers to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "No, we will not come up."
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Is it too little for you that you brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also lord it over us? You have lorded it over us!
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Moreover, you did not bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey, and you gave us no inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of those men? We will not go up.
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Moses was very angry, and he said to the LORD, "Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I wronged any one of them."
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And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your congregation be before the LORD—you and they and Aaron—tomorrow."
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Each take his censer and put incense on them and bring them near before the LORD, each his censer, two hundred and fifty censers, and you and Aaron each his censer.
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And they each took his censer and put fire on them and put incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.
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And Korah assembled the entire congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire congregation.
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And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying:
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Separate yourselves from the midst of this assembly, and I will consume them right now.
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And they fell on their faces and said to the God of the spirits of all flesh, "Shall one man sin, and will you be angry with the entire assembly?"
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The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
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Speak to the congregation, saying, "Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."
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Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
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And he spoke to the congregation, saying, "Get away now from the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that belongs to them, lest you be swept away in all their sin."
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And they went up from the area around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram went out and stood at the entrance of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their dependents.
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And Moses said, "By this you will know that the LORD sent me to do all these acts, for it is not from my heart."
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If these die like all humanity and the visitation of all humanity is visited on them, then it is not the LORD who sent me.
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And if the LORD creates a creation, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD.
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And it was as he finished speaking all these words, and the earth split open under them.
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The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their houses and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their property.
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And they went down alive, they and all that belonged to them, to Sheol, and the earth covered them over, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
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All Israel who were around them fled at their voice, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us!"
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Fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who brought near the incense.
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The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
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Speak to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, and let him raise the firepans from amid the burning ones, and the fire set apart outward, because they have become holy.
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the firepans of these sinners against their lives and make them hammered plates for overlay for the altar, for they offered them before the LORD and they became holy, and they were for a sign to the sons of Israel.
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And Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers with which those who were burned had offered and hammered them into beaten plates for the altar.
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a memorial for the sons of Israel so that no stranger who is not from the seed of Aaron may approach to burn incense before the LORD, and that he may not be like Korah and like his assembly, just as the LORD spoke by the hand of Moses to him.
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All the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled the next day against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "You are the ones who caused the people of the LORD to die."
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And it was when the congregation assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and they turned to the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud had covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
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Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
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The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
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"Get up from the midst of this assembly and consume them instantly," but they fell on their faces.
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Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer and put fire on it from the altar and put incense on it. Go quickly to the assembly and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun."
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Aaron took it just as Moses had said, and he ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had begun among the people. He put the incense on it and made atonement for the people.
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And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
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And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who died on account of the matter of Korah.
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And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the plague was stopped.