The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 Now Korach the son of Yitz'har, the son of K'hat, the son of Levi, along with Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av, and On, the son of Pelet, descendants of Re'uven, took men and
1
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:
2 rebelled against Moshe. Siding with them were 250 men of Isra'el, leaders of the community, key members of the council, men of reputation.
2
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:
3 They assembled themselves against Moshe and Aharon and said to them, "You take too much on yourselves! After all, the entire community is holy, every one of them, and ADONAI is among them. So why do you lift yourselves up above ADONAI's assembly?"
3
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?
4 When Moshe heard this he fell on his face.
4
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5 Then he said to Korach and his whole group, "In the morning, ADONAI will show who are his and who is the holy person he will allow to approach him. Yes, he will bring whomever he chooses near to himself.
5
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.
6 Do this: take censers, Korach and all your group;
6
This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
7 put fire in them; and put incense in them before ADONAI tomorrow. The one whom ADONAI chooses will be the one who is holy! It is you, you sons of Levi, who are taking too much on yourselves!"
7
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.
8 Then Moshe said to Korach, "Listen here, you sons of Levi!
8
And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9 Is it for you a mere trifle that the God of Isra'el has separated you from the community of Isra'el to bring you close to himself, so that you can do the work in the tabernacle of ADONAI and stand before the community serving them?
9
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?
10 He has brought you close and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you. Now you want the office of cohen too!
10
And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11 That's why you and your group have gathered together against ADONAI! After all, what is Aharon that you complain against him?"
11
For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
12 Then Moshe sent to summon Datan and Aviram, the sons of Eli'av. But they replied, "We won't come up!
12
And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
13 Is it such a mere trifle, bringing us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that now you arrogate to yourself the role of dictator over us?
13
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?
14 You haven't at all brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and you haven't put us in possession of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can gouge out these men's eyes and blind them? We won't come up!"
14
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.
15 Moshe was very angry and said to ADONAI, "Don't accept their grain offering! I haven't taken one donkey from them, I've done nothing wrong to any of them."
15
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.
16 Moshe said to Korach, "You and your group, be there before ADONAI tomorrow -you, they and Aharon.
16
And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
17 Each of you take his fire pan and put incense in it; every one of you, bring before ADONAI his fire pan, 250 fire pans, you too, and Aharon - each one his fire pan."
17
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.
18 Each man took his fire pan, put fire in it, laid incense on it and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting with Moshe and Aharon.
18
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.
19 Korach assembled all the group who were against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the glory of ADONAI appeared to the whole assembly.
19
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.
20 ADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,
20
And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21 "Separate yourselves from this assembly; I'm going to destroy them right now!"
21
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22 They fell on their faces and said, "Oh God, God of the spirits of all humankind, if one person sins, are you going to be angry with the entire assembly?"
22
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?
23 ADONAI answered Moshe,
23
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 "Tell the assembly to move away from the homes of Korach, Datan and Aviram."
24
Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
25 Moshe got up and went to Datan and Aviram, and the leaders of Isra'el followed him.
25
And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
26 There he said to the assembly, "Leave the tents of these wicked men! Don't touch anything that belongs to them, or you may be swept away in all their sins."
26
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.
27 So they moved away from all around the area where Korach, Datan and Aviram lived. Then Datan and Aviram came out and stood at the entrance to their tents with their wives, sons and little ones.
27
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.
28 Moshe said, "Here is how you will know that ADONAI has sent me to do all these things and that I haven't done them out of my own ambition:
28
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.
29 if these men die a natural death like other people, only sharing the fate common to all humanity, then ADONAI has not sent me.
29
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.
30 But if ADONAI does something new - if the ground opens up and swallows them with everything they own, and they go down alive to Sh'ol - then you will understand that these men have had contempt for ADONAI."
30
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.
31 The moment he finished speaking, the ground under them split apart -
31
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:
32 the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all the people who had sided with Korach and everything they owned.
32
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.
33 So they and everything they owned went down alive into Sh'ol, the earth closed over them and their existence in the community ceased.
33
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.
34 All Isra'el around them fled at their shrieks, shouting, "The earth might swallow us too!"
34
And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
35 Then fire came out from ADONAI and destroyed the 250 men who had offered the incense.
35
And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
36 ADONAI said to Moshe,
36
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
37 "Tell El'azar the son of Aharon the cohen to remove the fire pans from the fire, and scatter the smoldering coals at a distance, because they have become holy.
37
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.
38 Also the fire pans of these men, whose sin cost them their lives, have become holy, because they were offered before ADONAI. Therefore, have them hammered into plates to cover the altar. This will be a sign for the people of Isra'el."
38
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.
39 El'azar the cohen took the brass fire pans which the men who had been burned to death had offered, and they hammered them into a covering for the altar,
39
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:
40 to remind the people of Isra'el that an ordinary person, not descended from Aharon, is not to approach and burn incense before ADONAI, if he wants to avoid the fate of Korach and his group - as ADONAI had said to him through Moshe.
40
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.
41 But the very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra'el complained against Moshe and Aharon: "You have killed ADONAI's people!"
41
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.
42 However, as the community was assembling against Moshe and Aharon, they looked in the direction of the tent of meeting and saw the cloud cover it and the glory of ADONAI
42
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.
43 Moshe and Aharon came to the front of the tent of meeting.
43
And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
44 ADONAI said to Moshe,
44
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45 "Get away from this assembly, and I will destroy them at once!" But they fell on their faces.
45
Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46 Moshe said to Aharon, "Take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, and hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out from ADONAI, and the plague has already begun!"
46
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.
47 Aharon took it, as Moshe had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. There the plague had already begun among the people, but he added the incense and made atonement for the people.
47
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.
48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.
48
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49 Those dying from the plague numbered 14,700 - besides those who died in the Korach incident.
49
Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
50 Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the plague was stopped.
50
And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The King James Version is in the public domain.