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Do this: take censers, Korah, and all his company;

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and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Yahweh chooses, he shall be holy. You have gone too far, you sons of Levi!”

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Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi!

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Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of Yahweh, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;

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and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? and do you seek the priesthood also?

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Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Yahweh: and Aaron, what is he that you murmur against him?”

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Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, “We won’t come up:

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is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us?

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Moreover you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: will you put out the eyes of these men? We won’t come up.”

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Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, “Don’t respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them.”

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Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company go before Yahweh, you, and they, and Aaron, tomorrow:

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and each man take his censer, and put incense on them, and each man bring before Yahweh his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.”

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They each took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the Tent of Meeting with Moses and Aaron.

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Korah assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the congregation.

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Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

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“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!”

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They fell on their faces, and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?”

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from around the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram!’”

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Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

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He spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins!”

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So they went away from the tent of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.

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Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; for [I have] not [done them] of my own mind.

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If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Yahweh hasn’t sent me.

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But if Yahweh make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then you shall understand that these men have despised Yahweh.”

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It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them;

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and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who appertained to Korah, and all their goods.

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So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into Sheol: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly.

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All Israel that were around them fled at the cry of them; for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”

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Fire came forth from Yahweh, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense.

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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“Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter the fire yonder; for they are holy,

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even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Yahweh; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel.”

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Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,

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to be a memorial to the children of Israel, to the end that no stranger, who isn’t of the seed of Aaron, comes near to burn incense before Yahweh; that he not be as Korah, and as his company: as Yahweh spoke to him by Moses.

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But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed Yahweh’s people!”

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It happened, when the congregation was assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the Tent of Meeting: and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.

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Moses and Aaron came to the front of the Tent of Meeting.

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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“Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment!” They fell on their faces.

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Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar in it, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from Yahweh! The plague has begun.”

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Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and behold, the plague has begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.

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He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

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Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Korah.

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Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tent of Meeting: and the plague was stayed.

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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“Speak to the children of Israel, and take of them rods, one for each fathers’ house, of all their princes according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods: write every man’s name on his rod.

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You shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there shall be one rod for each head of their fathers’ houses.

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You shall lay them up in the Tent of Meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.

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It shall happen, that the rod of the man whom I shall choose shall bud: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.”

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Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and all their princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

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Moses laid up the rods before Yahweh in the tent of the testimony.

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It happened on the next day, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

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Moses brought out all the rods from before Yahweh to all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

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Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the children of rebellion; that you may make an end of their murmurings against me, that they not die.”

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Moses did so. As Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

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The children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish! We are undone! We are all undone!

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Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, dies! Will we all perish?”

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Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

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Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony.

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They shall keep your commands, and the duty of all the Tent: only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you.

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They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.

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“You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Israel.

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I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

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You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”

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Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “I, behold, I have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever.

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This shall be yours of the most holy things, [reserved] from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.

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You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.

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“This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

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“All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Yahweh, to you have I given them.

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The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahweh, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

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“Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.

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Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.

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You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).

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“But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

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Their flesh shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.

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All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your seed with you.”

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Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

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“To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.

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Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

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But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

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For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”

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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

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“Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe.

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Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.

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Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh’s wave offering to Aaron the priest.

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Out of all your gifts you shall offer every wave offering of Yahweh, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.’

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“Therefore you shall tell them, ‘When you heave its best from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the winepress.

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You shall eat it in every place, you and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

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You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.’”

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Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

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“This is the statute of the law which Yahweh has commanded: Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which is no blemish, [and] on which never came yoke.

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You shall give her to Eleazar the priest, and he shall bring her forth outside of the camp, and one shall kill her before his face:

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and Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle her blood toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times.

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One shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn:

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and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer.

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Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.

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He who burns her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.

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“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside of the camp in a clean place; and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water for impurity: it is a sin offering.

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He who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening: and it shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them, for a statute forever.