Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 16

Num 16:1 And Qoraḥ, son of Yitshar, son of Qehath, son of Lĕwi, took both
Dathan and Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, and On, son of Peleth, sons of
Re’uḇĕn,
Num 16:2 and they rose up before Mosheh with some of the children of
Yisra’ĕl, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, called ones of the
meeting, men of name.
Num 16:3 And they assembled against Mosheh and against Aharon, and said
to them, “Enough of you! For all the congregation is set-apart, all of them,
and יהוה is in their midst. Why then do you lift up yourselves above the
assembly of יהוה ?”
Num 16:4 And when Mosheh heard, he fell on his face,
Num 16:5 and spoke to Qoraḥ and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow
morning יהוה shall make known who is His and who is set-apart, and bring
him near to Him. And let Him bring near to Him the one whom He chooses.
Num 16:6 “Do this: Take fire holders, Qoraḥ and all your company,
Num 16:7 and put fire in them and put incense in them before יהוה tomorrow.
And it shall be that the one whom יהוה chooses is the set-apart one. Enough of
you, sons of Lĕwi!”
Num 16:8 And Mosheh said to Qoraḥ, “Hear now, you sons of Lĕwi:
Num 16:9 “Is it little to you that the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl has separated you
from the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, to bring you near to Himself, to perform
the service of the Dwelling Place of יהוה, and to stand before the
congregation to serve them,
Num 16:10 and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your
brothers, the sons of Lĕwi, with you? Yet you seek the priesthood as well?
Num 16:11 “Therefore you and all your company are set against יהוה. And
Aharon, what is he that you grumble against him?”
Num 16:12 And Mosheh sent to call Dathan and Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ,
but they said, “We are not coming up!
Num 16:13 “Is it little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with
milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you would also seize total
rule over us?
Num 16:14 “Also, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and
honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you bore out
the eyes of these men? We are not coming up!”
Num 16:15 And Mosheh became very displeased, and said to יהוה, “Do not
respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I done
harm to any of them.”
Num 16:16 Then Mosheh said to Qoraḥ, “Tomorrow, you and all your
company shall be there before יהוה, you and they and Aharon.
Num 16:17 “And take each one his fire holder, and you shall put incense in
it. And let each one bring his fire holder before יהוה, two hundred and fifty
fire holders, and you and Aharon, each one with his fire holder.”
Num 16:18 So each one took his fire holder, and put fire in it, and laid
incense on it, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Mosheh and
Aharon.
Num 16:19 And Qoraḥ assembled all the congregation against them at the
door of the Tent of Meeting. Then the esteem of יהוה appeared to all the
congregation.
Num 16:20 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,
Num 16:21 “Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, and let
Me consume them in a moment.”
Num 16:22 But they fell on their faces, and said, “O Ĕl, Elohim of the spirits
of all flesh! When one man sins, are You wroth with all the congregation?”
Num 16:23 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 16:24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Move away from around the
tents of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram.’ ”
Num 16:25 So Mosheh rose up and went to Dathan and Aḇiram, and the
elders of Yisra’ĕl followed him.
Num 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Please turn away
from the tents of these wrong men! Do not touch whatever belongs to them,
lest you be consumed in all their sins.”
Num 16:27 Then they moved away from around the tents of Qoraḥ, Dathan,
and Aḇiram. And Dathan and Aḇiram came out and stood at the door of their
tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
Num 16:28 And Mosheh said, “By this you know that יהוה has sent me to do
all these works, that they are not from my own heart.
Num 16:29 “If these die as all men do, or if they are visited as all men are
visited, then יהוה has not sent me.
Num 16:30 “But if יהוה creates what is unheard of, and the earth opens its
mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down
alive into the grave, then you shall know that these men have scorned יהוה.”
Num 16:31 And it came to be, as he ended speaking all these words, that the
ground under them split apart,
Num 16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with
their households and all the men with Qoraḥ, with all their goods.
Num 16:33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the grave,
and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the
assembly.
Num 16:34 And all Yisra’ĕl who were round about them fled at their cry, for
they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
Num 16:35 And a fire came out from יהוה and consumed the two hundred and
fifty men who were offering incense.
Num 16:36 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 16:37 “Say to El‛azar, son of Aharon the priest, to pick up the fire
holders out of the blaze, for they are set-apart, and scatter the fire some
distance away.
Num 16:38 “The fire holders of these men who sinned against their own
lives, let them be made into beaten plates as a covering for the altar. Because
they brought them before יהוה, therefore they are set-apart. And let them
become a sign to the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
Num 16:39 And El‛azar the priest took the bronze fire holders, which those
who were burned up had brought, and they were beaten out as a covering on
the altar –
Num 16:40 a remembrance to the children of Yisra’ĕl that no stranger who is
not of the seed of Aharon, should come near to offer incense before יהוה, and
not be like Qoraḥ and his company – as יהוה had said to him through Mosheh.
Num 16:41 But all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl grumbled
against Mosheh and against Aharon on the next day, saying, “You, you have
killed the people of יהוה.”
Num 16:42 And it came to be, when the congregation assembled against
Mosheh and against Aharon, that they turned toward the Tent of Meeting. And
see, the cloud covered it, and the esteem of יהוה appeared.
Num 16:43 And Mosheh and Aharon came before the Tent of Meeting.
Num 16:44 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
Num 16:45 “Arise from amidst this congregation, and let Me consume them
in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
Num 16:46 So Mosheh said to Aharon, “Take the fire holder and put fire in
it from the altar, and lay incense on, and go, hurry to the congregation and
make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from יהוה, the plague has
begun.”
Num 16:47 And Aharon took it as Mosheh commanded, and ran into the
midst of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people.
And he laid on the incense and made atonement for the people,
Num 16:48 and stood between the dead and the living. And the plague was
stopped.
Num 16:49 And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven
hundred, besides those who died on account of Qoraḥ.
Num 16:50 Then Aharon returned to Mosheh at the door of the Tent of
Meeting, for the plague had stopped.