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And Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, takes both Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben,
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and they rise up before Moses with men of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, called of the convention, men of renown,
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and they are assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and say to them, “Enough of you! For all the congregation—all of them [are] holy, and YHWH [is] in their midst; and why do you lift yourselves up above the assembly of YHWH?”
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And Moses hears, and falls on his face,
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and he speaks to Korah and to all his congregation, saying, “Indeed, [in the] morning YHWH may cause [you] to know those who are His and him who is holy, and has brought [him] near to Him; even him whom He fixes on He brings near to Him.
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Do this: take censers for yourselves—Korah and all his company—
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and put fire in them and put incense on them before YHWH tomorrow, and it has been, the man whom YHWH chooses, he [is] the holy one—enough of you, sons of Levi!”
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And Moses says to Korah, “Now hear, sons of Levi;
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is it little 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 Dwelling Place of YHWH, and to stand before the congregation to serve them?
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Indeed, He brings you near, and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you—and you have also sought the priesthood!
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Therefore, you and all your congregation are meeting against YHWH; and Aaron, what [is] he, that you murmur against him?”
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And Moses sends to call for Dathan and for Abiram, sons of Eliab, and they say, “We do not come up!
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Is it little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to put us to death in a wilderness, that you also certainly make yourself prince over us?
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Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor do you give an inheritance of field and vineyard to us; do you pick out the eyes of these men? We do not come up!”
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And it is very displeasing to Moses, and he says to YHWH, “Do not turn to their present; I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I afflicted one of them.”
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And Moses says to Korah, “You and all your congregation, be [present] before YHWH—you, and they, and Aaron—tomorrow;
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and let each take his censer and you have put incense on them, and each has brought his censer near before YHWH—two hundred and fifty censers; indeed, you and Aaron, each [with] his censer.”
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And they each take his censer, and put fire on them, and lay incense on them, and they stand at the opening of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.
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And Korah assembles all the congregation against them at the opening of the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of YHWH is seen by all the congregation.
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And YHWH speaks to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
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“Be separated from the midst of this congregation, and I consume them in a moment”;
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and they fall on their faces, and say, “God, God of the spirits of all flesh—one man sins, and are You angry against all the congregation?”
Moses Separates the People
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And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
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“Speak to the congregation, saying, Go up from around the dwelling place of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
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And Moses rises, and goes to Dathan and Abiram, and [the] elderly of Israel go after him,
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and he speaks to the congregation, saying, “Now turn aside from the tents of these wicked men, and do not come against anything that they have, lest you are consumed in all their sins.”
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And they go up from the dwelling place of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from all around, and Dathan and Abiram have come out, standing at the opening of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their infants.
The Earth Swallows Korah
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And Moses says, “By this you know that YHWH has sent me to do all these works, that [they are] not from my own heart;
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if these die according to the death of all men, or the charge of all men is charged on them, YHWH has not sent me;
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but if YHWH does a strange thing, and the ground has opened her mouth and swallowed them and all that they have, and they have gone down alive to Sheol, then you have known that these men have despised YHWH.”
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And it comes to pass at his finishing speaking all these words, that the ground which [is] under them cleaves,
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and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them, and their houses, and all the men who [are] for Korah, and all the goods,
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and they go down—they and all that they have—alive to Sheol, and the earth closes over them, and they perish from the midst of the assembly;
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and all Israel who [are] around them have fled at their voice, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us”;
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and fire has come out from YHWH and consumes the two hundred and fifty men bringing the incense near.
The Censers Reserved for Holy Use
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And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
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“Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to lift up the censers from the midst of the burning and scatter the fire away, for they have been hallowed.
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[As for] the censers of these sinners against their own souls, indeed, they have made them [into] spread-out plates [for] a covering for the altar, for they have brought them near before YHWH, and they are hallowed; and they become a sign to the sons of Israel.”
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And Eleazar the priest takes the bronze censers which they who are burned had brought near, and they spread them out [for] a covering for the altar—
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a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that a stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron does not draw near to make incense before YHWH, and is not as Korah and as his congregation, as YHWH has spoken by the hand of Moses to him.
Murmuring and Plague
(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
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And on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel murmurs against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have put the people of YHWH to death.”
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And it comes to pass, in the congregation being assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turn toward the Tent of Meeting, and behold, the cloud has covered it and the glory of YHWH is seen;
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and Moses comes—Aaron also—to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
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And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,
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“Get up from the midst of this congregation, and I consume them in a moment”; and they fall on their faces,
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and Moses says to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire on it from off the altar, and place incense, and go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for the wrath has gone out from the presence of YHWH—the plague has begun.”
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And Aaron takes [it] as Moses has spoken, and runs to the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague has begun among the people; and he gives the incense, and makes atonement for the people,
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and stands between the dead and the living, and the plague is restrained;
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and those who die by the plague are fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who die for the matter of Korah;
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and Aaron turns back to Moses, to the opening of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague has been restrained.
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