Korah’s Rebellion

1Nowe Korah the sonne of Izhar, the sonne of Kohath, the sonne of Leui went apart with Dathan, and Abiram the sonnes of Eliab, & On the sonne of Peleth, the sonnes of Reuben: 2And they rose vp against Moses, with certaine of the children of Israel, two hundreth and fiftie captaines of the assemblie, famous in the Congregation, and men of renoume, 3Who gathered themselues together against Moses, and against Aaron, and sayde vnto them, Ye take too much vpon you, seeing all the Congregation is holie, euery one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherfore then lift ye your selues aboue the Congregation of the Lorde?

4But when Moses heard it, hee fell vpon his face, 5And spake to Korah and vnto all his companie, saying, To morow the Lord will shew who is his, and who is holy, and who ought to approche neere vnto him: and whom he hath chosen, hee will cause to come neere to him. 6This doe therefore, Take you censers, both Korah, and all his companie, 7And put fire therein, and put incense in the before the Lord to morowe: and the man whome the Lord doeth chuse, the same shalbe holie: ye take too much vpon you, ye sonnes of Leui.

8Againe Moses saide vnto Korah, Heare, I pray you, ye sonnes of Leui. 9Seemeth it a smal thing vnto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the multitude of Israel, to take you neere to himselfe, to doe the seruice of the Tabernacle of the Lord, & to stand before the Congregation and to minister vnto them? 10He hath also taken thee to him, and all thy brethren the sonnes of Leui with thee, and seeke ye the office of the Priest also? 11For which cause, thou, and all thy companie are gathered together against the Lord: and what is Aaron, that ye murmure against him?

12And Moses sent to call Dathan, & Abiram the sonnes of Eliab: who answered, We will not come vp. 13Is it a small thing that thou hast brought vs out of a lande that floweth with milke and honie, to kill vs in the wildernesse, except thou make thy selfe lord and ruler ouer vs also? 14Also thou hast not brought vs vnto a land that floweth with milke and honie, neither giuen vs inheritance of fieldes and vineyardes: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come vp.

15Then Moses waxed verie angry, and saide vnto the Lord, Looke not vnto their offring: I haue not taken so much as an asse from them, neither haue I hurt any of them. 16And Moses said vnto Korah, Bee thou and al thy companie before the Lord: both thou, they, and Aaron to morowe: 17And take euery man his censor, and put incense in them, and bring ye euery man his censor before the Lord, two hundreth and fiftie censors: thou also and Aaron, euery one his censor. 18So they tooke euery man his censor, and put fire in them, and laide incense thereon, and stoode in the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19And Korah gathered all the multitude against them vnto the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation: then the glorie of the Lorde appeared vnto all the Congregation.

20And the Lorde spake vnto Moses and to Aaron, saying, 21Separate your selues from among this Cogregation, that I may consume them at once. 22And they fell vpon their faces and saide, O God the God of the spirits, of all fleshe, hath not one man onely sinned, and wilt thou bee wroth with all the Congregation?

Moses Separates the People

23And the Lorde spake vnto Moses, saying, 24Speake vnto the Congregation & say, Get you away from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.

25Then Moses rose vp, and went vnto Dathan and Abiram, and the Elders of Israel followed him. 26And he spake vnto the Congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tentes of these wicked men, and touche nothing of theirs, lest ye perish in all their sinnes. 27So they gate them away from the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram on euerie side: and Dathan, and Abiram came out & stood in the doore of their tentes with their wiues, and their sonnes, and their little children.

The Earth Swallows Korah

28And Moses saide, Hereby yee shall knowe that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works: for I haue not done them of mine owne minde. 29If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men, the Lord hath not sent me. 30But if the Lord make a newe thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallowe them vp with all that they haue, and they goe downe quicke into ye pit, then ye shal vnderstand that these men haue prouoked the Lord.

31And assoone as he had made an ende of speaking all these wordes, euen the ground claue asunder that was vnder them, 32And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them vp, with their families, and all the men that were with Korah, and all their goods. 33So they and all that they had, went down aliue into the pit, and the earth couered them: so they perished from among the Congregation. 34And all Israel that were about them, fled at the crie of them: for they said, Let vs flee, least the earth swalow vs vp. 35But there came out a fire from the Lorde, and consumed the two hundreth and fiftie men that offred the incense.

The Censers Reserved for Holy Use

36And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 37Speake vnto Eleazar, the sonne of Aaron the Priest, that he take vp the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire beyond the altar: for they are halowed, 38The censers, I say, of these sinners, that destroyed themselues: and let them make of them broade plates for a couering of the Altar: for they offered them before the Lorde, therefore they shalbe holy, and they shall be a signe vnto the children of Israel. 39Then Eleazar the Priest tooke the brasen censers, which they, that were burnt, had offred, and made broade plates of them for a couering of the Altar. 40It is a remembrance vnto the children of Israel, that no stranger which is not of the seede of Aaron, come neere to offer incense before the Lord, that he be not like Korah & his copanie, as the Lord said to him by the hand of Moses.

Murmuring and Plague
(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)

41But on the morowe all the multitude of the children of Israel murmured against Moses & against Aaron, saying, Ye haue killed the people of the Lord. 42And when the Congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, then they turned their faces toward the Tabernacle of the Congregation: and beholde, the cloude couered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron were come before the Tabernacle of the Congregation. 44And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying, 45Get you vp from among this Congregation: for I wil consume them quickly: then they fell vpon their faces. 46And Moses said vnto Aaron, Take the censer and put fire therein of the Altar, and put therein incense, and goe quickly vnto the Congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out fro the Lord: the plague is begunne. 47Then Aaron tooke as Moses commanded him, and ranne into the middes of the Congregation, and beholde, the plague was begun among the people, and hee put in incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48And when hee stoode betweene the dead, and them that were aliue, the plague was stayed. 49So they died of this plague fourtene thousande and seuen hundreth, beside them that dyed in the conspiracie of Korah. 50And Aaro went againe vnto Moses before the doore of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and the plague was stayed.