Numbers 16

Moses Appeals to God Numbers 16:4–11

⁴Verse 4. When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. ⁵Verse 5. He said to Korah and to all his company, “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. ⁶Verse 6. Do this: take censers, Korah, and all his company; ⁷Verse 7. and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow. It shall be that the man whom Yahweh chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi!” ⁸Verse 8. Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi!

⁹Verse 9. 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 service of Yahweh’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; ¹⁰Verse 10. and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Do you seek the priesthood also? ¹¹Verse 11. Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against Yahweh! What is Aaron that you murmur against him?”

Dathan and Abiram Refuse Numbers 16:12–22

¹²Verse 12. Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up! ¹³Verse 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 you must also make yourself a prince over us? ¹⁴Verse 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 won’t come up.” ¹⁵Verse 15. Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”

¹⁶Verse 16. Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company go before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. ¹⁷Verse 17. Each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before Yahweh his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” ¹⁸Verse 18. They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹Verse 19. Korah assembled all the congregation opposite them to the door of the Tent of Meeting. Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the congregation. ²⁰Verse 20. Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

²¹Verse 21. “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!” ²²Verse 22. They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

God's Command to Separate Numbers 16:23–30

²³Verse 23. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴Verse 24. “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!’” ²⁵Verse 25. Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶Verse 26. He spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins!” ²⁷Verse 27. So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side. Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

²⁸Verse 28. Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; for they are not from my own mind. ²⁹Verse 29. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they experience what all men experience, then Yahweh hasn’t sent me. ³⁰Verse 30. But if Yahweh makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.”

Judgment on the Rebels Numbers 16:31–35

³¹Verse 31. As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart. ³²Verse 32. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households, all of Korah’s men, and all their goods. ³³Verse 33. So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol. The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴Verse 34. All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” ³⁵Verse 35. Fire came out from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.

Censers as a Memorial Numbers 16:36–40

³⁶Verse 36. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁷Verse 37. “Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire away from the camp; for they are holy, ³⁸Verse 38. even the censers of those who sinned against their own lives. Let them be beaten into plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before Yahweh. Therefore they are holy. They shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” ³⁹Verse 39. Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,

⁴⁰Verse 40. to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, who isn’t of the offspring of Aaron, would come near to burn incense before Yahweh, that he not be as Korah, and as his company; as Yahweh spoke to him by Moses.

The Congregation Murmurs Again Numbers 16:41–50

⁴¹Verse 41. But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed Yahweh’s people!” ⁴²Verse 42. When the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, They looked toward the Tent of Meeting. Behold, the cloud covered it, and Yahweh’s glory appeared. ⁴³Verse 43. Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting. ⁴⁴Verse 44. Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵Verse 45. “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!” They fell on their faces. ⁴⁶Verse 46. Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar in it, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from Yahweh! The plague has begun.”

⁴⁷Verse 47. Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. The plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸Verse 48. He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. ⁴⁹Verse 49. Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah. ⁵⁰Verse 50. Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was stopped.