Numbers 16

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, (and Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, son of Pallu, son of Reuben) took	1 Then, behold, Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and also On the son of Peleth, of the sons of Ruben,
2 two hundred and fifty Israelites who were leaders in the community, members of the council and men of note. They stood before Moses,	2 rose up against Moses, with two hundred fifty others of the sons of Israel, leading men of the assembly, and who, at the time of a council, would be called by name.
3 and held an assembly against Moses and Aaron, to whom they said, "Enough from you! The whole community, all of them, are holy; the LORD is in their midst. Why then should you set yourselves over the LORD'S congregation?"	3 And when they had stood against Moses and Aaron, they said: “Let it be sufficient for you that the entire multitude is of holy ones, and that the Lord is among them. Why do you elevate yourselves above the people of the Lord?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell prostrate.	4 When Moses had heard this, he fell prone on his face.
5 Then he said to Korah and to all his band, "May the LORD make known tomorrow morning who belongs to him and who is the holy one and whom he will have draw near to him! Whom he chooses, he will have draw near him.	5 And speaking to Korah, and to the entire multitude, he said: “In the morning, the Lord will cause it to be known who belongs to him, and which holy ones he will join to himself. And whomever he will choose, they shall be close to him.
6 Do this: take your censers (Korah and all his band)	6 Therefore, do this: Each one of you, Korah and all your associates, take your censer,
7 and put fire in them and place incense in them before the LORD tomorrow. He whom the LORD then chooses is the holy one. Enough from you Levites!"	7 and drawing fire into it tomorrow, place incense upon it before the Lord. And whomever he will choose, the same shall be holy. You sons of Levi have been raised up greatly.”
8 Moses also said to Korah, "Listen to me, you Levites!	8 And he said again to Korah: “Listen, sons of Levi.
9 Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has singled you out from the community of Israel, to have you draw near him for the service of the LORD'S Dwelling and to stand before the community to minister for them?	9 Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from all the people, and has joined you to himself, so that you would serve him in the rituals of the tabernacle, and stand before gatherings of the people, and minister to him?
10 He has allowed you and your kinsmen, the descendants of Levi, to approach him, and yet you now seek the priesthood too.	10 Was the reason that he caused you and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, to approach him, so that you would even claim for yourselves the priesthood too,
11 It is therefore against the LORD that you and all your band are conspiring. For what has Aaron done that you should grumble against him?"	11 and so that your entire group would stand against the Lord? For what is Aaron that you should murmur against him?”
12 Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, but they answered, "We will not go.	12 Therefore, Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, who responded: “We will not come.
13 Are you not satisfied with having led us here away from a land flowing with milk and honey, to make us perish in the desert, that you must now lord it over us?	13 Is it a small matter to you, that you have led us away from a land that was flowing with milk and honey, so as to kill us in the desert, unless you could also be a ruler over us?
14 Far from bringing us to a land flowing with milk and honey, or giving us fields and vineyards for our inheritance, will you also gouge out our eyes? No, we will not go."	14 You have led us, it is true, to a land that flows with streams of milk and honey, and you have given us possession of fields and vineyards. But will you also tear out our eyes? We will not come.”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Pay no heed to their offering. I have never taken a single ass from them, nor have I wronged any one of them."	15 And Moses, being very angry, said to the Lord: “Do not look with favor on their sacrifices. You know that I have not accepted from them, at any time, so much as a young donkey, nor have I afflicted any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your band shall appear before the LORD tomorrow-you and they and Aaron too.	16 And he said to Korah: “You and your congregation, stand alone before the Lord, and apart from Aaron, tomorrow.
17 Then each of your two hundred and fifty followers shall take his own censer, put incense in it, and offer it to the LORD; and you and Aaron, each with his own censer, shall do the same."	17 Let each one of you take censers, and place incense in them, offering to the Lord two hundred fifty censers. Let Aaron also hold his censer.”
18 So they all took their censers, and laying incense on the fire they had put in them, they took their stand by the entrance of the meeting tent along with Moses and Aaron.	18 When they had done this, Moses and Aaron stood up,
19 Then, when Korah had assembled all his band against them at the entrance of the meeting tent, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire community,	19 and, having crowded the entire multitude close to them at the door of the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all.
20 and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,	20 And the Lord, speaking to Moses and Aaron, said:
21 "Stand apart from this band, that I may consume them at once."	21 “Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, so that I may suddenly destroy them.”
22 But they fell prostrate and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will one man's sin make you angry with the whole community?"	22 But they fell prone on their faces, and they said, “O most strong One, the God of the spirits of all flesh, should your anger rage against all, for the sin of one?”
23 The LORD answered Moses,	23 And the Lord said to Moses:
24 "Speak to the community and tell them: Withdraw from the space around the Dwelling" (of Korah, Dathan and Abiram).	24 “Instruct the entire people to separate from the tents of Korah, and Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 Moses, followed by the elders of Israel, arose and went to Dathan and Abiram.	25 And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram. And the elders of Israel followed him,
26 Then he warned the community, "Keep away from the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that is theirs: otherwise you too will be swept away because of all their sins."	26 and he said to the crowd, “Withdraw from the tabernacles of these impious men, and touch nothing which pertains to them, lest you become involved in their sins.”
27 When Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrances of their tents with their wives and sons and little ones,	27 And when they had withdrawn from their tents all around, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their pavilions, with their wives and children, and with all their associates.
28 Moses said, "This is how you shall know that it was the LORD who sent me to do all I have done, and that it was not I who planned it:	28 And Moses said: “By this shall you know that the Lord has sent me to do all that you discern, and that I have not brought these things out of my own heart:
29 if these men die an ordinary death, merely suffering the fate common to all mankind, then it was not the LORD who sent me.	29 If these men pass away by the common death of men, or if they will be visited by a scourge, of a kind by which others are often visited, then the Lord did not send me.
30 But if the LORD does something entirely new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them alive down into the nether world, with all belonging to them, then you will know that these men have defied the LORD."	30 But if the Lord accomplishes something new, so that the earth opens its mouth and swallows them whole, along with everything that belongs to them, and they descend alive into the underworld, then you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord.”
31 No sooner had he finished saying all this than the ground beneath them split open,	31 Therefore, as soon as he had ceased to speak, the earth broke open under their feet.
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families (and all of Korah's men) and all their possessions.	32 And opening its mouth, it devoured them with their tabernacles and their entire substance.
33 They went down alive to the nether world with all belonging to them; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the community.	33 And they descended alive, the ground closing around them, into the underworld, and they perished from the midst of the mulititude.
34 But all the Israelites near them fled at their shrieks, saying, "The earth might swallow us too!"	34 Yet truly, all of Israel, which was standing all around, took flight at the clamor of those who were perishing, saying, “Lest perhaps the earth may swallow us whole also.”
35 So they withdrew from the space around the Dwelling (of Korah, Dathan and Abiram). And fire from the LORD came forth which consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.	35 Then, too, a fire, going forth from the Lord, put to death the two hundred fifty men who were offering the incense.
	36 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
	37 “Instruct Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to take up the censers which lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire to one side and another, because they were sanctified
	38 in the deaths of these sinners. And let him form them into plates, and affix them to the altar, because incense had been offered in them to the Lord, and they were sanctified, and so that the sons of Israel may discern in them a sign and a memorial.”
	39 Therefore, Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, by which those whom the burning devoured had made an offering, and he formed them into plates, affixing them to the altar,
	40 so that the sons of Israel would have, thereafter, something to admonish them, lest any stranger, or anyone who is not of the offspring of Aaron, might approach to offer incense to the Lord, and lest he endure what happened to Korah, and to all his congregation, when the Lord spoke to Moses.
	41 Then, the following day, the entire multitude of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: “You have put to death the people of the Lord.”
	42 And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased,
	43 Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. But after they had entered it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
	44 And the Lord said to Moses:
	45 “Withdraw from the midst of this multitude, and I will destroy them immediately.” And while they were lying on the ground,
	46 Moses said to Aaron: “Take the censer, and draw fire into it from the altar; place incense upon it, and continue on, quickly, to the people, to pray for them. For already wrath has gone forth from the Lord, and the scourge rages.”
	47 When Aaron had done this, and he ran into the midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, and he offered the incense.
	48 And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the scourge ceased.
	49 But the number of those who were struck down was fourteen thousand men, and seven hundred, aside from those who had perished in the sedition of Korah.
	50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, after the destruction quieted.