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- Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come!
- Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us?
- Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"
- Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."
- Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow--you and they and Aaron.
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- And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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- Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it--250 censers in all--and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also."
- So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
- When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly.
- The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
- "Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
- Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
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- But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"
- Then the LORD said to Moses,
- "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "
- Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
- He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."
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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?
- And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
- Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
- And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
- 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 moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
- Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea:
- If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.
- But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."
- As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions.
- They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.
- At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"
- And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
- The LORD said to Moses,
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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.
- 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.
- And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
- And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
- And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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- "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy-
- the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."
- So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar,
- as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
- The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.
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- Speak unto Eleazar the 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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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- But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.
- Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting,
- and the LORD said to Moses,
- "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.
- Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started."
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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.
- And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
- And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
- Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
- 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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- So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them.
- He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.
- But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.
- Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
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- 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.
- And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
- Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
- And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
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