Numbers 16

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath the Levite, and the Reubenites Dathan and Abiram sons ofEliab, and On son of Peleth were proud	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
2 and rebel ed against Moses with two hundred and fifty Israelites who were leaders of the community,prominent at the solemn feasts, men of repute.	2 two hundred and fifty Israelites who were leaders in the community, members of the council and men of note. They stood before Moses,
3 These banded together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, 'You take too much onyourselves! The whole community, al its members, are consecrated, and Yahweh lives among them. Why setyourselves higher than Yahweh's community?'	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?"
4 On hearing this, Moses threw himself on his face.	4 When Moses heard this, he fell prostrate.
5 Then he said to Korah and al in his party, 'Tomorrow morning Yahweh wil reveal who is his, who theconsecrated man whom he wil al ow to approach him. The one he al ows to approach is the one whom he haschosen.	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.
6 This is what you must do: take the censers of Korah and al in his party,	6 Do this: take your censers (Korah and all his band)
7 put fire in them and put incense in them before Yahweh tomorrow, and the one whom Yahwehchooses wil be the consecrated man. Levites, you take too much on yourselves!'	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!"
8 Moses then said to Korah, 'Now listen, you Levites!	8 Moses also said to Korah, "Listen to me, you Levites!
9 Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has singled you out of the community of Israel, andcal ed you to be near him, to serve in Yahweh's Dwel ing and to represent the community by officiating on itsbehalf?	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?
10 He has cal ed you to be near him, you and al your brother Levites with you, and now you want to bepriests as wel !	10 He has allowed you and your kinsmen, the descendants of Levi, to approach him, and yet you now seek the priesthood too.
11 For which reason, you and al in your party have banded together against Yahweh himself: for whatis Aaron, that you should mutter against him?'	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?"
12 Moses then summoned Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab. They replied, 'We wil not come.	12 Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, but they answered, "We will not go.
13 Is it not enough for you to have brought us away from a country flowing with milk and honey to kil usin the desert, without your making yourself our absolute ruler?	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?
14 What is more, you have not brought us to a country flowing with milk and honey and you have notgiven us fields and vineyards for our heritage. Do you think you can hoodwink these people? We wil not come.'	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."
15 Moses flew into a rage and said to Yahweh, 'Disregard their cereal offering! I have not taken somuch as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.'	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."
16 Moses said to Korah, 'You and all your party, come before Yahweh tomorrow, you and they, andAaron too.	16 Moses said to Korah, "You and all your band shall appear before the LORD tomorrow-you and they and Aaron too.
17 Each wil take his censer, put incense in it, and bring his censer before Yahweh -- two hundred andfifty censers. You and Aaron too wil each bring his censer.'	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."
18 Each of them took his censer, put fire in it and placed incense on it, and stood at the entrance to theTent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.	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.
19 Then, Korah having assembled the whole community to confront them at the entrance to the Tent ofMeeting, the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole community.	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,
20 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,	20 and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
21 'Get away from this community. I am going to destroy them here and now.'	21 "Stand apart from this band, that I may consume them at once."
22 They threw themselves on their faces and cried out, 'O God, God of the spirits that give life to everyliving thing, wil you be angry with the whole community because one man has sinned?'	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?"
23 Yahweh then said to Moses,	23 The LORD answered Moses,
24 'Speak to the community and say, "Stand wel clear of Korah's tent." '	24 "Speak to the community and tell them: Withdraw from the space around the Dwelling" (of Korah, Dathan and Abiram).
25 Moses stood up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel fol owed him.	25 Moses, followed by the elders of Israel, arose and went to Dathan and Abiram.
26 He spoke to the community and said, 'Stand away, I tel you, from the tents of these sinners, andtouch nothing that belongs to them, for fear that with all their sins you too wil be swept away.'	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."
27 So they moved away from Korah's tent. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing attheir tent doors, with their wives, their sons and their little ones.	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,
28 Moses said, 'This is how you will know that Yahweh himself has sent me to perform al these tasksand that I am not doing them of my own accord.	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:
29 If these people die a natural death such as people commonly die, then Yahweh has not sent me.	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.
30 But if Yahweh does something utterly new, if the earth should open its mouth and swal ow them andal their belongings, so that they go down alive to Sheol, then you wil know that they held Yahweh in contempt.'	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."
31 The moment he finished saying all this, the ground split apart under their feet,	31 No sooner had he finished saying all this than the ground beneath them split open,
32 the earth opened its mouth and swal owed them, their families, all Korah's people and al theirproperty.	32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their families (and all of Korah's men) and all their possessions.
33 They went down alive to Sheol with al their belongings. The earth closed over them and theydisappeared in the middle of the community.	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.
34 At their cries, all the Israelites round them took to their heels, saying, 'We do not want the earth toswal ow us too!'	34 But all the Israelites near them fled at their shrieks, saying, "The earth might swallow us too!"
35 Fire then shot out from Yahweh and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering incense.	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.