1 Now Korah {Korach: rebel leader}, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On, son of Pelet, of the tribe of Reuben {Reuven: firstborn tribe}, took men.
2 And they rose up before Moses—men from the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation {edah: community assembly}, summoned to the assembly {moed: appointed meeting}, men of renown.
3 And they assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and they said to them, “It is too much for you! For all the assembly, all of them, are holy, and in their midst is the LORD {YHWH, Present among His people}. Why then do you exalt yourselves over the LORD’s assembly {qahal: covenant gathering}?”
4 Moses {Moshe: Chosen Leader} heard, and he fell upon his face {panim: posture of deep humility}.
5 And he spoke to Korah and to all his congregation, saying, “In the morning the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Arbiter} will make known who belongs to Him and who is the holy one {hakadosh: set-apart person}, and He will bring that person near to Himself; and whomever He chooses, He will bring near to Himself.”
6 Do this {zot: specific directive}: take censers for yourselves, Korah and all his assembly {adato: organized group}.
7 You shall place fire in them and set incense upon them before the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Selector} tomorrow, and the man whom the LORD chooses shall be holy {kadosh: set-apart}. It is too much for you, sons of Levi.
8 And Moses said to Korah {korakh: rebel leader}, “Hear now, sons of Levi {bnei levi: Levitical descendants}.”
9 Is it a small thing for you that the God of Israel{Elohei Yisra'el, Covenant Separator} has set you apart from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself, to serve the work of the tabernacle{mishkan: dwelling place} of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
10 And He {YHWH, Inviting Presence} has brought you near, together with all your brothers the sons of Levi, but you seek the priesthood {kehunnah: sacred office} also.
11 Therefore you and all your congregation who have assembled against the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge}—what{ma: reason questioned} is Aaron that you grumble against him?
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan {Daṯan: judgment given} and Abiram, sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not go up {naaleh: ascend upward}.”
13 Is it too small a thing that you have brought us up from a land flowing with milk {chalav: abundant provision} and honey to kill us in the wilderness {bamidbar: desolate region}, that you must also surely rule over us?
14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land {eretz: promised territory} flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance {nachalat: legal portion} of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not go up.
15 And Moses was very angry and said to the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Arbiter}, “Do not turn toward their offering {minchah: sacred gift}. I have not taken even one donkey from them, nor have I wronged {hereti: caused injustice} any of them.”
16 And Moses said to Korah, "You and all your assembly {adat: gathered group} are to be before the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge}; you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow."
17 Each man shall take his censer, and you shall put incense upon them, and you shall bring them before the LORD {YHWH, Divine Arbiter}; each man his censer—250 censers in all. You and Aaron, each man his censer {maḥtah: ritual fire pan}.
18 And each man took his censer and put fire upon it, and placed incense upon it, and they stood at the entrance {petach: threshold} of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron {Aharon: appointed priest}.
19 And Korah {korach: opposition leader} gathered all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Presence} appeared to all the congregation.
20 Then the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Judge} spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying {lemor: direct divine communication}.
21 Separate yourselves from among this assembly, and I {YHWH, Holy Judge} will consume them in an instant {keraga: brief moment}.
22 And they fell upon their faces and said, “O God {El, Supreme Judge}, God of the spirits {haruchot: breath and life within} of all flesh, if one man sins, will You be angry with the entire assembly?”
23 And the LORD {YHWH, Divine Speaker} spoke {vayedabber: Authoritative Proclamation} to Moses, saying,
24 Speak to the congregation {edah: assembled community} and say, “Withdraw {healuh: actively remove yourselves} from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 And Moses {Mosheh: Appointed Leader} arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel {ziknei: respected leaders} went after him.
26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Turn aside now from the tents of these wicked ones {reshaim: morally guilty}, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, lest you be swept away {tissafu: utterly destroyed} because of all their sins.”
27 So they withdrew from around the dwelling {mishkān: principal tent} of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram went out and stood {nitsṣāḇîm: deliberate posture} at the entrance of their tents with their wives and their sons and their little ones.
28 And Moses said, “By this you will know that the LORD {YHWH, Divine Sender} has sent me to do all these works {ma’asim: appointed deeds}, for it was not from my own heart.”
29 If these men die as all men die, and the visitation {pkudat: appointed fate} of all men is visited upon them, then the LORD {YHWH, Divine Judge} has not sent me.
30 But if the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Judge} creates a new thing {beri’ah: unique act}, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD.
31 And it happened, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground {adamah: physical earth} under them split open {vattibaqa: sudden rupture}.
32 And the earth opened its mouth {pîhā: gaping opening}, and swallowed them, and their houses {bateihem: family dwellings}, and all the people who belonged to Korah, and all the possessions.
33 And they went down, they and all that belonged to them, alive into Sheol {sheolah: realm of the dead}; and the earth covered them, and they perished {vayyoevdu: total destruction} from the midst of the assembly.
34 All Israel{Yisrael: covenant people} who were around them fled at their cry{kol: urgent voice}, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up.”
35 And fire went out from the LORD {YHWH, Supreme Judge} and consumed the two hundred and fifty men {ish: those drawing near} who were offering the incense.
36 And the LORD {YHWH, Divine Legislator} spoke {vayedabber: authoritative communication} to Moses, saying,
37 Say to Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest {kohen: sacred office}, that he should take up the censers from among the burning and scatter the fire away yonder, for they have become holy {qadash: set apart for sacred use}.
38 The censers of these sinners, at the cost of their lives {benafshotam: with their souls}, shall be made into hammered sheets as an overlay for the altar, for they were presented before the LORD {YHWH, Divine Judge} and have been consecrated to serve as a sign to the children of Israel.
39 And Eleazar the priest took the bronze firepans that the burned ones {serufim: burnt remains} had offered, and they were hammered out as an overlay {tsippuy: metal sheathing} for the altar.
40 As a memorial for the sons of Israel, so that no outsider {zar: unauthorized person} who is not of Aaron’s seed may approach to offer incense before the LORD {YHWH, Priestly Guardian} and thus become like Korah and his assembly, as the LORD said by the hand of Moses.
41 On the next day, all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You {atem: the community leaders} have killed the people of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Defender}.”
42 And it happened, as the assembly was gathering against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting; and behold, the cloud had covered it, and the glory of the LORD {YHWH, Visible Presence} appeared {vayera: was revealed}.
43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front {penei: visible presence} of the tent of meeting {ohel moed: appointed meeting place}.
44 And the LORD {YHWH, Divine Speaker} spoke {vayedabber: narrative marker} to Moses, saying.
45 And He {YHWH, Righteous Judge} said to Moses and Aaron, “Separate yourselves {heromu: distance yourselves} from among this assembly, and I will consume them in a moment.” Then they fell on their faces.
46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire on it from the altar, add incense, and hurry to the congregation to make atonement for them, for wrath {ketzef: burning anger} has gone out before the LORD {YHWH, Divine Judge}; the plague has begun.”
47 And Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly {qahal: gathered congregation}; and behold, the plague {negef: divine affliction} had begun among the people. And he placed the incense and made atonement for the people.
48 And he stood {yaamod: intercession posture} between the dead and between the living, and the plague {magefah: divinely-sent affliction} was halted.
49 And those who died in the plague were 14,700 {meot: units of a hundred}, apart from those who died over the matter of Korah {Korach: rebel leader}.
50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance {petach: threshold} of the tent of meeting; and the plague {magefah: destructive calamity} was restrained.