Korach's Rebellion and Samuel's Farewell

(1) And Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi and Dathan and Abiram sons of Elaib and On son of Peleth sons of Reuben, they gathered (2) and they rose against Moses, with two hundred and fifty of the Israelites, community leaders, people chosen for the assembly, men of renown. (3) And they assembled against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the community, they are all holy, and God is in their midst, and why should you raise yourselves up over God's community?” (4) And Moses heard this and fell on his face. (5) And he spoke to Korah and all his community, saying, “In the morning, God will make known who is His and who is holy God will bring close to Him and him who God chooses God will bring close to Him. (6) Do this: Take fire pans, Korah and all your community. (7) And place fire in them and put incense on them before God. And the man whom God chooses, he is the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi.” (8) And Moses said to Korah, “Listen, please, sons of Levi. (9) Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel to bring you close to Him to do the work of God’s Tabernacle, to stand before the community and serve them? (10) And He brought you close and all your brothers the sons of Levites with you. And will you seek the priesthood as well? (11) Therefore you and all your community band together against God-- and Aaron, who is he that you should murmur against him?”

(12) And Moses sent to call to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come. (13) Is it too little that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to put us to death in the wilderness, that you should also actually lord it over us? (14) What's more, you have not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey nor given us an estate of fields and vineyards. Should we be blind to this? We will not come!” (15) And Moses was very angry and he said to God, “Do not accept their offering. Not a donkey of theirs have I taken, and I have done no harm to these men.”

(16) And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your community, stand before God tomorrow, you and them and Aaron. (17) And each man will take his fire pan and place incense on it and bring bring it before God, each man his fire pan, two hundred and fifty fire pans, and you and Aaron, each man his fire pans.” (18) And each man took his fire pan and they placed fire in them and put incense on them and they stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, with did Moses and Aaron. (19) And Korah assembled all the community by the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and God's glory appeared to all the community. (20) And God spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (21) “Divide yourselves from this community, and I will put an end to them in an instant!” (22) And they fell with their faces to the groundand said, “El, God of the spirits for all flesh, should one man offend and You rage against all the community?” (23) And God spoke to Moses, saying, (24) “Speak to the community, saying 'Move from around the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” (25) And Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel went after him. (26) And he spoke to the community, saying, “Turn away, please, from the tents of these evil men and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be wiped out in all their offenses.” (27) And they moved up from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and Dathan and Abiram went out, standing at the entrance of their tents with their wives and their sons and their little ones. (28) And Moses said, “By this shall you know that God has sent me to do all these deeds, that it was not from my own heart: (29) if these men die like the death of all human beings, and if the fate of all human beings is their fate, it is not God who has sent me. (30) But if a new thing God should create, and the ground spreads open its mouth and swallows them and all of theirs and they go down alive to Sheol, you will know that these men have despised God.” (31) And it happened, just as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart, (32) and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and every human being that was Korah's and all the possessions. (33) And they went down, they and all that was theirs, alive to Sheol, and the earth covered over them and they perished from the midst of the community. (34) And all Israel that was round about them fled at the sound of them, for they thought, “The earth might swallow us!” (35) And a fire had gone out from God and consumed the two hundred and fifty men bringing forward the incense.

(1) And God spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest that he should life up the fire pans from the midst of the burnt-out zone and scatter the fire abroad, for they have become holy, (3) the fire pans of these offenders at the cost of their lives. And they shall make of them hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they brought them forward before God and they have become holy, and they will become a sign for the Israelites. (4) And Eleazar the priest took the bronze fire pans that those burned to death had brought forward and they hammered them into a plating for the altar, (5) a reminder for the Israelites, so that no stranger, who was not the seed of Aaron, should come forward to burn incense before God, and none should be like Korah and his community, as God had spoken to him in the hand of Moses.

(6) And all the community of Israelites murmured on the next day against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You, you have put to death God's people!” (7) And it happened when the community assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turned to the Tent of Meeting, and look, the cloud had covered it and God's glory appeared. (8) And Moses, and Aaron with him, came before the Tent of Meeting. And God spoke to Moses, saying, (10) “Lift yourselves up from the midst of this community and I will put an end to them this instant.” And they fell on their faces. (11) And Moses said to Aaron, “Take the fire pan and place fire upon it from the altar and put in incense and carry it quickly to the community and atone for them, for the fury has gone out from before God, the plague has begun!” (12) And Aaron took as Moses had spoken, and ran to the midst of the assembly, and look, the plague had begun against the people, and he put in incense and atoned for the people. (13) And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was held back. (14) And those who died bby the plague came to 14,700, besides those who died because of Korah. (15) And Aaron returned to Moses at the Tent of Meeting and the plague was held back.

(14) And Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and we shall renew there the kingship.” (15) And all the people went to Gilgal, and they made Saul king there before God at Gilgal, and they sacrificed their well-being sacrifices before God, and Saul rejoiced there, and all the men of Israel with him, very greatly.

(1) And Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me and have set a king over you. (2) And so now the king walks before you andI have grown old and gray, and my sons, here they are with you, and I have walked before you from my youth til this day. (3) Here I am! Witness against me before God and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken and whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged and whom have I abused? And from whom have I taken a bribe to look the other way? I shall return it to you!” (4) And they said, “You have not wronged us and you have not abused us, and you have not taken a thing from any man.” (5) And he said to them, “God is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have found not a thing in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.” (6) And Samuel said to the people, “Witness is God, Who appointed Moses and Aaron and Who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt! (7) And now, stand forth, that I may seek judgement with you before God, and I shall tell you all God's successes that He did for you and your fathers. (8) When Jacob came into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to God, God sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. (9) And they forgot the Lord your God, and He delivered them into the hand of Sisera commander of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. (10) And they cried out to God and said, ‘We have offended, for we have abandoned God and worshipped the Baalim and the Ashtaroth. And now, rescue us from the hand of our enemies and we shall serve You.’ (11) And God sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel, and He rescued you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you dwelled in safety. (12) And you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites had come against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king shall reign over us’ though the LORD your God was your King. (13) And now, here is the king you have chosen, for whom you have asked, and here God has put over you a king. (14) If you fear God and worship Him, and heed His voice and rebel not against God's words, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, He will rescue you. (15) But if you heed not the voice of God and you rebel against God's words, the hand of God will be against you and against your king to destroy you. (16) Even now, take your stance and see this great thing that God is about to do before your eyes. (17) Is it not wheat harvest today? I shall call unto God and He will send thunder and rain, and mark and see, that the evil you have done is great in the eyes of God, to ask for yourselves a king.” (18) And Samuel called unto God, and God sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people feared God greatly, and they feared Samuel as well. (19) And all the people all said to Samuel, “Intercede on behalf of your servants with the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to our offenses an evil thing to ask for ourselves a king.” (20) And Samuel said to the people, “Fear not. You have done all this evil, but swerve not from following God and serve God with all your heart. (21) And swerve not after mere emptiness that will not help or rescue, for they are mere emptiness. (22) For God will not desert His people for the sake of His great name, as God has undertaken to make you His people.