Bamidbar 16

1Now Korach ben Yitzhar ben Kehat ben Levi, and Datan and Aviram, the Bnei Eliav, and On ben Pelet, Bnei Reuven, became insolent;

2And they rose up before Moshe, with certain of the Bnei Yisroel, two hundred and fifty Nasi'ei Edah, chosen from the assembly, men of renown;

3And they gathered themselves together against Moshe and against Aharon, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing Kol HaEdah are Kedoshim, every one of them, and Hashem is among them; why then lift ye up yourselves above the Kehal Hashem?

4And when Moshe heard it, he fell upon his face;

5And he spoke unto Korach and unto all his edah, saying, In the boker Hashem will show who are His, and who is the kadosh; and will cause him to come near unto Him: even him whom He hath chosen will He cause to come near unto Him.

6This do: take you fire pans, Korach, and all his edah;

7And put eish therein, put ketoret in them before Hashem tomorrow; it shall be that the man whom Hashem doth choose, he shall be haKadosh; ye take too much upon you, ye Bnei Levi.

8And Moshe said unto Korach, Hear, now, ye Bnei Levi:

9Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that Elohei Yisroel hath separated you from the Adat Yisroel, to bring you near to Himself to do the Avodat Mishkan Hashem, and to stand before the Edah to minister unto them?

10And He hath brought thee near to Him, and all thy brethren the Bnei Levi with thee; and seek ye the Kehunah also?

11For which cause both thou and all thy edah are gathered together against Hashem; and what is Aharon, that ye murmur against him?

12And Moshe sent to call Datan and Aviram, the Bnei Eliav, which said, We will not come up.

13Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of an Eretz zavat cholov udevash, to kill us in the midbar, yet thou also keep trying to dominate us?

14Moreover thou hast not brought us into an Eretz zavat cholov udevash, or given us nachalah of sadeh and kerem; wilt thou gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.

15And Moshe was very angry, and said unto Hashem, Respect not thou their minchah; I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I wronged one of them.

16And Moshe said unto Korach, Be thou and all thy edah before Hashem, thou, they, and Aharon, tomorrow;

17And take every man his fire pan, put ketoret in them, and bring ye before Hashem every man his fire pan, 250 fire pans; thou also, and Aharon, each of you his fire pan.

18And they took every man his fire pan and put eish in them and laid ketoret thereon, and stood in the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed with Moshe and Aharon.

19And Korach gathered kol haedah against them unto the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed; and the Kavod Hashem appeared unto Kol HaEdah.

20And Hashem spoke unto Moshe and unto Aharon, saying,

21Separate yourselves from among this edah, that I may consume them in a moment.

22And they fell upon their faces, and said, El Elohei HaRuchot L'Chol Basar, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be angry with Kol HaEdah?

23And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

24Speak unto HaEdah, saying, Get you up away from the mishkan Korach, Datan, and Aviram.

25And Moshe rose up and went unto Datan and Aviram; and the Ziknei Yisroel followed him.

26And he spoke unto HaEdah, saying, Move back, now, from the tents of these anashim resha'im, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their chattot.

27So they moved back from the mishkan Korach, Datan, and Aviram, on every side; Datan and Aviram came out, and stood in the entrance of their tents, their wives, their banim, and their little ones.

28And Moshe said, Hereby ye shall know that Hashem hath sent me to do all these ma'asim; for I have not done them of mine own will.

29If these men die the common death of kol haAdam, or if they be visited after the visitation of kol haAdam, then Hashem hath not sent me.

30But if Hashem creates a new thing, and haadamah open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down chayyim into Sheol; then ye shall have da'as that these men have spurned Hashem.

31And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these devarim, that haadamah split asunder that was under them:

32And ha'aretz opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, their batim (houses), all the men that were of Korach, and all their possessions.

33They, and all that were of them, went down chayyim into Sheol, and ha'aretz closed over them; and they perished from the midst of the Kahal.

34And Kol Yisroel that were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest ha'aretz swallow us up also.

35And there came out from Hashem an eish, and consumed the 250 men that offered ketoret.

36And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying,

37Speak unto Elazar ben Aharon HaKohen that he take up the fire pans out of the burning, and scatter thou the eish yonder; for they are set apart as kodesh.

38The fire pans of these chatta'im against their own nefashot, let them make them hammered-out sheets for a covering of the Mizbe'ach: for they offered them before Hashem, therefore they became kadosh; and they shall be an ot unto the Bnei Yisroel.

39And Elazar HaKohen took the bronze fire pans, wherewith they that were burned had offered; and they made hammered-out sheets for an overlay of the Mizbe'ach:

40To be a memorial reminder unto the Bnei Yisroel, that no zar, which is not of the zera Aharon, encroach to offer ketoret before Hashem; that he be not as Korach, and as his edah, as Hashem said to him by the hand of Moshe.

41But the next day Kol Adat Bnei Yisroel murmured against Moshe and against Aharon, saying, Ye have killed the Am Hashem.

42And it came to pass, when HaEdah was gathered against Moshe and against Aharon, that they looked toward the Ohel Mo'ed; and, hinei, the Anan covered it, and the Kavod Hashem appeared.

43And Moshe and Aharon came before the Ohel Mo'ed.

44And Hashem spoke unto Moshe saying,

45Get you away from among this edah, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46And Moshe said unto Aharon, Take a fire pan, and put eish therein from off the Mizbe'ach, and put ketoret, and go quickly unto HaEdah, and make kapporah for them; for there is Ketzef (Wrath) gone out from Hashem; the plague is begun.

47And Aharon took as Moshe commanded, and ran into the midst of the Kahal; and, hinei, the plague was begun among HaAm: and he offered ketoret, and made kapporah for HaAm.

48And he stood between the mesim and the chayyim; and the plague was stopped.

49Now they that were the mesim in the maggefah (plague) were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, in addition to those who were mesim by reason of Korach.

50And Aharon returned unto Moshe unto the entrance of the Ohel Mo'ed; and the plague was stayed.