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,
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.
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?”
4 And when Mosheh heard, he fell on his face,
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.
6 “Do this: Take fire holders, Qoraḥ and all your company,
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!”
8 And Mosheh said to Qoraḥ, “Hear now, you sons of Lĕwi:
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,
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?
11 “Therefore you and all your company are set against יהוה. And Aharon, what is he that you grumble against him?”
12 And Mosheh sent to call Dathan and Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, but they said, “We are not coming up!
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?
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!”
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.”
16 Then Mosheh said to Qoraḥ, “Tomorrow, you and all your company shall be there before יהוה, you and they and Aharon.
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.”
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.
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.
20 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying,
21 “Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, and let Me consume them in a moment.”
22 But they fell on their faces, and said, “O Ěl, Elohim of the spirits of all flesh! When one man sins, are You wroth with all the congregation?”
23 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Move away from around the tents of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram.’ ”
25 So Mosheh rose up and went to Dathan and Aḇiram, and the elders of Yisra’ĕl followed him.
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.”
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.
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.
29 “If these die as all men do, or if they are visited as all men are visited, then יהוה has not sent me.
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.”
31 And it came to be, as he ended speaking all these words, that the ground under them split apart,
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Qoraḥ, with all their goods.
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.
34 And all Yisra’ĕl who were round about them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”
35 And a fire came out from יהוה and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense.
36 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
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.
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.”
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 –
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.
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.”
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.
43 And Mosheh and Aharon came before the Tent of Meeting.
44 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,
45 “Arise from amidst this congregation, and let Me consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces.
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.”
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,
48 and stood between the dead and the living. And the plague was stopped.
49 And those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of Qoraḥ.
50 Then Aharon returned to Mosheh at the door of the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.