Numbers 16
Smith's Literal Translation Par ▾ 

Korah’s Rebellion

1And Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, will take, and Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab; and On, son of Peleth, sons of Reuben; 2And they will rise up before Moses, and men from the sons of Israel, fifty and two hundred chiefs of the assembly, called by appointment, and men of name: 3And they will gather together against Moses, and against Aaron, and they will say to them, Much to you for all the assembly, all of them are holy, and Jehovah in the midst of them: and wherefore shall be lifted up over the gathering of Jehovah?

4And Moses will hear, and will fall upon his face: 5And he will speak to Korah and to all his assembly, saying, The morning Jehovah will make known who is to him, and the holy; and bring near to him: and whom he will choose for him he will bring near to himself. 6This do ye: take to you censers, Korah and all his assembly: 7And ye shall give fire in them and put upon them incense, before Jehovah to-morrow: and it was the man whom Jehovah shall choose, he is holy: much to you, ye sons of Levi.

8And Moses will say to Korah, Hear, now, ye sons of Levi: 9Is this small for you that the God of Israel separated you from the assembly of Israel to bring you near to him to serve the services of the dwelling of Jehovah, and to stand before the assembly to serve them? 10He will bring thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and did ye seek also the priesthood? 11For this thou and all thine assembly being collected together against Jehovah: and Aaron, what is he that ye shall murmur against him?

12And Moses will send to call for Dathan and for Abiram, sons of Eliab and they will say, We will not come up. 13Is this small that thou broughtest us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that thou ruling also wilt rule over us? 14But not to a land flowing with milk and honey didst thou bring us; and wilt thou give to us the inheritance of field and vineyard? the eyes of these men wilt thou bore out? we will not come up.

15And it will be kindled to Moses greatly, and he will say to Jehovah, Thou wilt not turn to their gift: not one ass did I take from them, and I did not evil to one of them. 16And Moses will say to Korah, Be thou and all thine assembly before Jehovah, thou and they, and Aaron, to-morrow: 17And take each his censer and put incense upon them, and bring them near before Jehovah, each his censer and put incense upon them, and bring them near before Jehovah, each his censer, fifty and two hundred censers; and thou and Aaron, each his censer. 18And they will take each his censer and will give upon them fire, and will put incense upon them, and they will stand at the door of the tent of appointment, and Moses and Aaron. 19And Korah will gather against them all the assembly at the door of the tent of appointment; and the glory of Jehovah will be seen to all the assembly.

20And Jehovah will speak to Moses, and to Aaron, saying, 21Separate yourselves from the midst of this assembly, and I will consume them as in a moment, 22And they shall fall upon their faces, and they will say, God, the God of the spirits for all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be angry against all the assembly.

Moses Separates the People

23And Jehovah will speak to Moses, saying, 24Speak to all the assembly, saying, Go up from round about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25And Moses will rise up and go to Dathan and Abiram; and the old men of Israel will go after him. 26And he will speak to the assembly, saying, Remove, now, from the tents of these guilty men, and ye shall not touch upon any thing which is to them lest ye shall he destroyed in all their sin. 27And they will go up from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, from round about; and Dathan and Abiram will come forth, standing at the door of their tents, and their wives and their sons and their little ones.

The Earth Swallows Korah

28And Moses will say, By this shall ye know that Jehovah sent me to do all these works; for not from my heart. 29If according to the death of all men these shall die, if the providence of all men shall be reviewed upon them, Jehovah sent me not. 30And if Jehovah shall create a creation, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them and all which is to them, and they went down living to hades; and ye know that these men rejected Jehovah,

31And it shall be as he finished to speak all these words, the earth shall cleave asunder which is under them: 32And the earth shall open her mouth and shall swallow them and their houses, and all the men which to Korah, and all the possessions. 33And they went down, and all which is to them, living, to hades, and the earth shall cover over them; and they shall perish from the midst of the gathering. 34And all Israel which were round about them fled at their voice: for they said, Lest the earth shall swallow us. 35And a fire will come forth from Jehovah and will consume the fifty and two hundred men bringing the incense.

The Censers Reserved for Holy Use

36And Jehovah will speak to Moses, saying, 37Say to Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, and he shall take up the censers from the midst of the burning, and scatter the fire afar off; for they were consecrated. 38The censers of these sinners against their souls, and they made them beaten plates, a covering for the altar: for they brought them before Jehovah, and they will be consecrated: and they will be for a sign to the sons of Israel. 39And Eleazar the priest will take the brazen censers, which they being burnt brought near; and they shall beat them out a covering for the altar, 40A remembrance to the sons of Israel, so that a man, a stranger, shall not come near, he who is not from the seed of Aaron, to burn incense before Jehovah; and he shall not be as Korah and as his assembly: as Jehovah spake to him by the hand of Moses.

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

41And all the assembly of the sons of Israel will murmur on the morrow against Moses, and against Aaron, saying, Ye killed the people of Jehovah. 42And it shall be in the gathering together of the assembly against Moses and against Aaron, and they shall turn towards the tent of appointment; and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Jehovah will be seen. 43And Moses will go, and Aaron, before the tent of appointment. 44And Jehovah will speak to Moses, saying, 45Lift up yourselves from the midst of this assembly, and I will consume them as in a moment. And they will fall upon their faces. 46And Moses will say to Aaron, Take a censer and give upon it fire from off the altar, and put incense, and go quickly to the assembly, and expiate for them: for anger went forth from before Jehovah; for it began smiting. 47And Aaron will take as Moses spake, and he will run into the midst of the assembly; and behold, it began smiting among the people: and he will give incense and will expiate for the people. 48And he will stand between the dead and between the living; and the smiting will be withheld. 49And they dying in the smiting will be fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides they dying for the words of Korah. 50And Aaron will turn back to Moses to the door of the tent of appointment: and the smiting was withheld.


The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

Numbers 15
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