| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; | 1Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took |
| 2and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. | 2 250 prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses. |
| 3They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” | 3They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the LORD's assembly?" |
| 4So when Moses heard it, he fell on his face; | 4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. |
| 5and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. | 5Then he said to Korah and all his followers, "Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him, who is set apart, and the one He will let come near Him. He will let the one He chooses come near Him. |
| 6Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; | 6Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow |
| 7put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!” | 7place fire in them and put incense on them before the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!" |
| 8Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: | 8Moses also told Korah, "Now listen, Levites! |
| 9Is 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 work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; | 9Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to Himself, to perform the work at the LORD's tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them? |
| 10and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? | 10He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are seeking the priesthood as well. |
| 11Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?” | 11Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should complain about him?" |
| 12And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up! | 12Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come! |
| 13Is 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, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? | 13Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us? |
| 14Moreover you have not 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 will not come up!” | 14Furthermore, you didn't bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!" |
| 15Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them.” | 15Then Moses became angry and said to the LORD, "Don't respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them." |
| 16And Moses said to Korah, “Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the LORD—you and they, as well as Aaron. | 16So Moses told Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow--you, they, and Aaron. |
| 17Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.” | 17Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the LORD--250 firepans. You and Aaron are each to present your firepan also." |
| 18So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. | 18Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron. |
| 19And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. | 19After Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community. |
| 20And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, | 20The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, " |
| 21“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” | 21Separate yourselves from this community so I may consume them instantly." |
| 22Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” | 22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, "God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You vent Your wrath on the whole community?" |
| 23So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 23The LORD replied to Moses, " |
| 24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ” | 24Tell the community: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram." |
| 25Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. | 25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. |
| 26And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” | 26He warned the community, "Get away now from the tents of these wicked men. Don't touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins." |
| 27So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. | 27So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, children, and infants. |
| 28And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. | 28Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD sent me to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: |
| 29If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. | 29If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the LORD has not sent me. |
| 30But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD.” | 30But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD." |
| 31Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, | 31Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. |
| 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. | 32The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah's people, and all their possessions. |
| 33So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. | 33They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly. |
| 34Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!” | 34At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled because they thought, "The earth may swallow us too!" |
| 35And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. | 35Fire also came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense. |
| 36Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: | 36Then the LORD spoke to Moses: " |
| 37“Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. | 37Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away. |
| 38The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” | 38As for the firepans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they presented them before the LORD, and the firepans are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites." |
| 39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, | 39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze firepans that those who were burned had presented, and they were hammered into plating for the altar, |
| 40to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses. | 40just as the LORD commanded him through Moses. It was to be a reminder for the Israelites that no unauthorized person outside the lineage of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD and become like Korah and his followers. |
| 41On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” | 41The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the LORD's people!" |
| 42Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. | 42When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the LORD's glory appeared. |
| 43Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. | 43Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, |
| 44And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, | 44and the LORD said to Moses, " |
| 45“Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. | 45Get away from this community so that I may consume them instantly." But they fell facedown. |
| 46So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun.” | 46Then Moses told Aaron, "Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the LORD; the plague has begun." |
| 47Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. | 47So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people. |
| 48And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. | 48He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted. |
| 49Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. | 49But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident. |
| 50So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped. | 50Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted. |
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