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The Fourth Book of Moses: Called Numbers, Chapter 16
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Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi,
and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth,
sons of Reuben, took men:
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And they rose up before Moses, with
certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of
the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
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3 |
And they
gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said
unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are
holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then
lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
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And
when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
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And he spake unto
Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will
shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near
unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto
him.
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This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
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Andput fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow:
and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be
holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
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8 |
And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
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Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel
hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near
to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to
stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
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And he
hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi
with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
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For which cause
both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD:
and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
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12 |
And Moses sent
to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not
come up:
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Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of
a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness,
except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
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Moreover
thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey,
or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the
eyes of these men? we will not come up.
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And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not
thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have
I hurt one of them.
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16 |
And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before
the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
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And take every
man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD
every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and
Aaron, each of you his censer.
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And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and
laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation with Moses and Aaron.
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And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD
appeared unto all the congregation.
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And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
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Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume
them in a moment.
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And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the
spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with
all the congregation?
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the
tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
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And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the
elders of Israel followed him.
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And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you,
from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest
ye be consumed in all their sins.
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So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram,
on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door
of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little
children.
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And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me
to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
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If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be
visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent
me.
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But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth,
and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go
down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have
provoked the LORD.
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And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these
words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
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And
the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses,
and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
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They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the
pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the
congregation.
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And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of
them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
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And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two
hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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Speak unto Eleazarthe son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the
burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
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The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them
make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered
them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a
sign unto the children of Israel.
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And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they
that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a
covering of the altar:
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To be a memorial unto the children of
Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near
to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his
company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
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But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the
people of the LORD.
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And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against
Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the
congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the
LORD appeared.
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And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the
congregation.
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And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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Get you up fromamong this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And
they fell upon their faces.
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46 |
And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein
from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the
congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone
out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
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47 |
And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the
congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and
he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
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48 |
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was
stayed.
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Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and
seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
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50 |
And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of
the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
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