Parallel Bible results for "numbers 16"

Numbers 16

New Living Translation NLT

1 One day Korah son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, from the tribe of Reuben.

2 They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly.

3 They united against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the LORD, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the LORD ’s people?”

4 When Moses heard what they were saying, he fell face down on the ground.

5 Then he said to Korah and his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show us who belongs to him and who is holy. The LORD will allow only those whom he selects to enter his own presence.

6 Korah, you and all your followers must prepare your incense burners.

7 Light fires in them tomorrow, and burn incense before the LORD . Then we will see whom the LORD chooses as his holy one. You Levites are the ones who have gone too far!”

8 Then Moses spoke again to Korah: “Now listen, you Levites!

9 Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in the LORD ’s Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them?

10 Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well?

11 The LORD is the one you and your followers are really revolting against! For who is Aaron that you are complaining about him?”

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, “We refuse to come before you!

13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us here in this wilderness, and that you now treat us like your subjects?

14 What’s more, you haven’t brought us into another land flowing with milk and honey. You haven’t given us a new homeland with fields and vineyards. Are you trying to fool these men? We will not come.”

15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their grain offerings! I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, and I have never hurt a single one of them.”

16 And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers must come here tomorrow and present yourselves before the LORD . Aaron will also be here.

17 You and each of your 250 followers must prepare an incense burner and put incense on it, so you can all present them before the LORD . Aaron will also bring his incense burner.”

18 So each of these men prepared an incense burner, lit the fire, and placed incense on it. Then they all stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle with Moses and Aaron.

19 Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the Tabernacle entrance. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to the whole community,

20 and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

21 “Get away from all these people so that I may instantly destroy them!”

22 But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. “O God,” they pleaded, “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?”

23 And the LORD said to Moses,

24 “Then tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 So Moses got up and rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel.

26 “Quick!” he told the people. “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. If you do, you will be destroyed for their sins.”

27 So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives and children and little ones.

28 And Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things that I have done—for I have not done them on my own.

29 If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens, then the LORD has not sent me.

30 But if the LORD does something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the LORD .”

31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them.

32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned.

33 So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel.

34 All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried.

35 Then fire blazed forth from the LORD and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

36 And the LORD said to Moses,

37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pull all the incense burners from the fire, for they are holy. Also tell him to scatter the burning coals.

38 Take the incense burners of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and hammer the metal into a thin sheet to overlay the altar. Since these burners were used in the LORD ’s presence, they have become holy. Let them serve as a warning to the people of Israel.”

39 So Eleazar the priest collected the 250 bronze incense burners that had been used by the men who died in the fire, and the bronze was hammered into a thin sheet to overlay the altar.

40 This would warn the Israelites that no unauthorized person—no one who was not a descendant of Aaron—should ever enter the LORD ’s presence to burn incense. If anyone did, the same thing would happen to him as happened to Korah and his followers. So the LORD ’s instructions to Moses were carried out.

41 But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the LORD ’s people!”

42 As the community gathered to protest against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Tabernacle and saw that the cloud had covered it, and the glorious presence of the LORD appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron came and stood in front of the Tabernacle,

44 and the LORD said to Moses,

45 “Get away from all these people so that I can instantly destroy them!” But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground.

46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it, and carry it out among the people to purify them and make them right with the LORD . The LORD ’s anger is blazing against them—the plague has already begun.”

47 Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people.

48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.

49 But 14,700 people died in that plague, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah.

50 Then because the plague had stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

Common English Bible CEB

1 Korah—Izhar's son, Kohath's grandson, and Levi's great-grandson—with Dathan and Abiram, Eliab's sons, and On, Peleth's son, descendants of Reuben,

2 rose up against Moses, along with two hundred fifty Israelite men, leaders of the community, chosen by the assembly, men of reputation.

3 They assembled against Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You've gone too far, because the entire community is holy, every last one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"

4 When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.

5 He spoke to Korah and all his community, "In the morning the LORD will make known who is his, who is holy, and who is able to approach him. The one he chooses for himself is the one who will be able to approach him.

6 This is what must be done. Korah and your entire community: Take censers for yourselves.

7 Tomorrow put fire in them and place incense on them in the LORD's presence. The man whom the LORD chooses, that one is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"

8 Moses said to Korah, "Listen, you Levites,

9 isn't it enough for you that Israel's God has separated you from the Israelite community to allow you to approach him, to perform the service of the LORD's dwelling, and to serve before the community by ministering for them?

10 He has allowed you and all your fellow Levites with you to approach him. Yet you also seek the priesthood?

11 Thus you and your entire community have assembled against the LORD. But Aaron, what is he that you complain about him?"

12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, Eliab's sons. But they said, "We won't come up!

13 Isn't it enough that you've brought us up from a land full of milk and honey to kill us in the desert so that you'd also dominate us?

14 Moreover, you haven't brought us to a land full of milk and honey, nor given us the inheritance of field and vineyard. Would you also gouge out the eyes of these men? We won't come up!"

15 Moses became very angry and he said to the LORD, "Pay no attention to their offering. I haven't taken a single donkey from them, nor have I wronged any one of them."

16 Moses said to Korah, "You and your entire community should appear before the LORD tomorrow, you, they, and Aaron.

17 Every person should take his censer, place incense on it, and present it before the LORD. Each person will carry his censer, two hundred fifty censers in all, including you and Aaron."

18 Then every person took his censer, placed fire on it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance of the meeting tent with Moses and Aaron.

19 Korah gathered the entire community with them to the entrance of the meeting tent. Then the LORD's glory appeared to the entire community.

20 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron,

21 "Separate yourselves from this community so that I may consume them in a moment."

22 They fell on their faces and said, "God, the God of all living things. If one person sins, should you become angry with the entire community?"

23 The LORD said to Moses,

24 "Speak to the community and say, ‘Withdraw from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'"

25 Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram. Israel's elders followed him.

26 He spoke to the community: "Move away from the tents of these wicked men and don't touch anything of theirs, lest you too be wiped out for all their sins."

27 They withdrew from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, children, and little ones.

28 Moses said, "By this you will know that the LORD sent me to do these deeds and that it wasn't my own desire.

29 If all these people die a natural death, or if their fate be that of all humans, then the LORD hasn't sent me.

30 But if the LORD performs an act of creation, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, so that they descend alive to their graves, then you'll know that these men disrespected the LORD."

31 As soon as he finished speaking these words, the ground under them split open.

32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, including every human that belonged to Korah and all their possessions.

33 They along with all their possessions descended alive to their graves, and the earth closed over them. They perished in the middle of the assembly.

34 All the Israelites who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, "The earth may swallow us."

35 Then fire went out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred fifty men offering incense.

36 The LORD spoke to Moses:

37 Tell Eleazar, Aaron the priest's son, to raise the censers from the fire and scatter the ashes about, because they are holy.

38 Hammer the censers of those who sinned and lost their lives into thin plates for the altar. Since they presented them in the LORD's presence, they had become holy. They will be a sign for the Israelites.

39 Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers presented by those who had been consumed by fire and hammered them into a covering for the altar,

40 just as the LORD instructed him through Moses. This was a reminder for the Israelites that no outsider who isn't one of Aaron's descendants should approach to burn incense in the LORD's presence, so as not to be like Korah and his community.

41 On the next day the entire Israelite community complained to Moses and Aaron, "You killed the LORD's people."

42 When the community assembled against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the meeting tent. At that moment the cloud covered it, and the LORD's glory appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron came to the front of the meeting tent,

44 and the LORD spoke to Moses:

45 Get away from this community, so that I may consume them in an instant. They fell on their faces,

46 and Moses said to Aaron, "Take the censer, put fire from the altar on it, place incense on it, go quickly to the community, and seek reconciliation for them. Indeed, the LORD's anger has gone out. The plague has begun."

47 Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the middle of the assembly, for the plague had already begun among the people. He burned incense and sought reconciliation for the people.

48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.

49 Those who died from the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, in addition to those who died because of Korah.

50 Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the meeting tent once the plague stopped.