Feb 3 - Numbers 16-18
Numbers
1Then, behold, Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and also On the son of Peleth, of the sons of Ruben2rose up against Moses, with two hundred fifty others of the sons of Israel, leading men of the assembly, and who, at the time of a council, would be called by name3And when they had stood against Moses and Aaron, they said: "Let it be sufficient for you that the entire multitude is of holy ones, and that the Lord is among them. Why do you elevate yourselves above the people of the Lord?4When Moses had heard this, he fell prone on his face5And speaking to Korah, and to the entire multitude, he said: "In the morning, the Lord will cause it to be known who belongs to him, and which holy ones he will join to himself. And whomever he will choose, they shall be close to him6Therefore, do this: Each one of you, Korah and all your associates, take your censer7and drawing fire into it tomorrow, place incense upon it before the Lord. And whomever he will choose, the same shall be holy. You sons of Levi have been raised up greatly.8And he said again to Korah: "Listen, sons of Levi9Is it a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from all the people, and has joined you to himself, so that you would serve him in the rituals of the tabernacle, and stand before gatherings of the people, and minister to him10Was the reason that he caused you and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, to approach him, so that you would even claim for yourselves the priesthood too11and so that your entire group would stand against the Lord? For what is Aaron that you should murmur against him?12Therefore, Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, who responded: "We will not come13Is it a small matter to you, that you have led us away from a land that was flowing with milk and honey, so as to kill us in the desert, unless you could also be a ruler over us14You have led us, it is true, to a land that flows with streams of milk and honey, and you have given us possession of fields and vineyards. But will you also tear out our eyes? We will not come.15And Moses, being very angry, said to the Lord: "Do not look with favor on their sacrifices. You know that I have not accepted from them, at any time, so much as a young donkey, nor have I afflicted any of them.16And he said to Korah: "You and your congregation, stand alone before the Lord, and apart from Aaron, tomorrow17Let each one of you take censers, and place incense in them, offering to the Lord two hundred fifty censers. Let Aaron also hold his censer.18When they had done this, Moses and Aaron stood up19and, having crowded the entire multitude close to them at the door of the tabernacle, the glory of the Lord appeared to them all20And the Lord, speaking to Moses and Aaron, said21"Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation, so that I may suddenly destroy them.22But they fell prone on their faces, and they said, "O most strong One, the God of the spirits of all flesh, should your anger rage against all, for the sin of one?23And the Lord said to Moses24"Instruct the entire people to separate from the tents of Korah, and Dathan, and Abiram.25And Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram. And the elders of Israel followed him26and he said to the crowd, "Withdraw from the tabernacles of these impious men, and touch nothing which pertains to them, lest you become involved in their sins.27And when they had withdrawn from their tents all around, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their pavilions, with their wives and children, and with all their associates28And Moses said: "By this shall you know that the Lord has sent me to do all that you discern, and that I have not brought these things out of my own heart29If these men pass away by the common death of men, or if they will be visited by a scourge, of a kind by which others are often visited, then the Lord did not send me30But if the Lord accomplishes something new, so that the earth opens its mouth and swallows them whole, along with everything that belongs to them, and they descend alive into the underworld, then you shall know that they have blasphemed the Lord.31Therefore, as soon as he had ceased to speak, the earth broke open under their feet32And opening its mouth, it devoured them with their tabernacles and their entire substance33And they descended alive, the ground closing around them, into the underworld, and they perished from the midst of the mulititude34Yet truly, all of Israel, which was standing all around, took flight at the clamor of those who were perishing, saying, "Lest perhaps the earth may swallow us whole also.35Then, too, a fire, going forth from the Lord, put to death the two hundred fifty men who were offering the incense36And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying37"Instruct Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to take up the censers which lie in the burning, and to scatter the fire to one side and another, because they were sanctifie38in the deaths of these sinners. And let him form them into plates, and affix them to the altar, because incense had been offered in them to the Lord, and they were sanctified, and so that the sons of Israel may discern in them a sign and a memorial.39Therefore, Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, by which those whom the burning devoured had made an offering, and he formed them into plates, affixing them to the altar40so that the sons of Israel would have, thereafter, something to admonish them, lest any stranger, or anyone who is not of the offspring of Aaron, might approach to offer incense to the Lord, and lest he endure what happened to Korah, and to all his congregation, when the Lord spoke to Moses41Then, the following day, the entire multitude of the sons of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying: "You have put to death the people of the Lord.42And when there arose a sedition, and the tumult increased43Moses and Aaron fled to the tabernacle of the covenant. But after they had entered it, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared44And the Lord said to Moses45"Withdraw from the midst of this multitude, and I will destroy them immediately." And while they were lying on the ground46Moses said to Aaron: "Take the censer, and draw fire into it from the altar; place incense upon it, and continue on, quickly, to the people, to pray for them. For already wrath has gone forth from the Lord, and the scourge rages.47When Aaron had done this, and he had run into the midst of the multitude, which the burning fire was now destroying, he offered the incense48And standing between the dead and the living, he prayed for the people, and the scourge ceased49But the number of those who were struck down was fourteen thousand men, and seven hundred, aside from those who had perished in the sedition of Korah50And Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, after the destruction quieted
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying2"Speak to the sons of Israel, and receive from each of them a rod by their kinships, from all the leaders of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of each one on his rod3But the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi, and one rod separately shall contain all their families4And you shall place these in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to you5Whomever of these I will choose, his rod will germinate, and so shall I restrain the complaints of the sons of Israel before me, by which they murmur against you.6And Moses spoke to the sons of Israel. And all the leaders gave him rods, one for each tribe. And there were twelve rods, aside from the rod of Aaron7And when Moses had placed these before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony8returning on the following day, he found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi, had germinated, and that the swelling buds had opened into flowers, which, spreading their petals, were formed into those of an almond tree9Therefore, Moses brought out all the rods, from the sight of the Lord, to all the sons of Israel. And they saw, and each one received their rods10And the Lord said to Moses: "Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, so that it may be kept there as a sign of the rebellion of the sons of Israel, and so that their complaints may be quieted before me, lest they die.11And Moses did just as the Lord had instructed12Then the sons of Israel said to Moses: "Behold, we have been consumed; we have been ruined13Whoever approaches to the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Will we all be wiped away, even to total annihilation?
1And the Lord said to Aaron: "You, and your sons, and the house of your father with you, shall carry the iniquity of the Sanctuary. And you and your sons together shall bear the sins of your priesthood2But take to yourselves also your brothers from the tribe of Levi, and the scepter of your father, and may they be prepared, and may they minister to you. Then you and your sons shall minister in the tabernacle of the testimony3And the Levites shall stand watch by your precepts, and for all the works of the tabernacle; yet in such a manner that they shall not approach the vessels of the Sanctuary and of the altar, lest both they die, and you perish, at the same time4But they may be with you, and they may watch over the care of the tabernacle and all its ceremonies. A foreigner shall not be mixed with you5Watch over the care of the Sanctuary, and over the ministry of the altar, lest an indignation may rise over the sons of Israel6I have given your brothers, the Levites, to you from the midst of the sons of Israel, and I have delivered them as a gift to the Lord, in order to serve in the ministries of his tabernacle7But as for you and your sons: guard the priesthood. For all that pertains to the service of the altar and of what is beyond the veil shall be exercised by the priests. If any outsider will approach, he shall be killed.8And the Lord said to Aaron: "Behold, I have given you custody of my first-fruits. Everything that is sanctified by the sons of Israel I have delivered to you and your sons, for the office of the priesthood, by everlasting ordinances9Therefore, you shall receive these, from the things that are sanctified and offered to the Lord. Every offering, and sacrifice, and whatever is repaid to me, on behalf of sin and also for offenses, and which becomes the Holy of holies, shall be for you and for your sons10You shall eat it in the Sanctuary. Only the males shall eat from it, because it has been consecrated for you11But the first-fruits, which the sons of Israel shall vow and offer, I have given to you, and to your sons, as well as to your daughters, by a perpetual right. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them12All the innermost of the oil, and of the wine, and of the grain, whatever first-fruits they offer to the Lord, I have given to you13All the first of the crops, which the soil produces and which are carried to the Lord, shall fall to your use. Whoever is clean in your house shall eat them14All that the sons of Israel shall repay by vow shall be yours15Whatever goes out first from the womb, of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether from men or from cattle, shall be your right; yet only in so far as, for the firstborn of man, you shall accept a price. And every animal that is unclean you shall cause to be redeemed16And its redemption shall be, after one month, five shekels of silver, by the weight of the Sanctuary. A shekel has twenty obols17But the firstborn of a cow, or of a sheep, or of a goat, you shall not cause to be redeemed, because they have been sanctified to the Lord. Thus, their blood you shall pour out upon the altar, and their fat you shall burn as a most sweet odor to the Lord18Yet truly, the flesh shall fall to your use, just as the consecrated breast and the right shoulder shall be yours19All the first-fruits of the Sanctuary, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and to your sons as well as to your daughters, as a perpetual right. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord, for you and for your sons.20And the Lord said to Aaron: "In their land, you shall possess nothing; neither shall you have a portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel21But I have given, to the sons of Levi, all the tithes of Israel as a possession, for the ministry by which they serve me in the tabernacle of the covenant22so that the sons of Israel may no longer approach to the tabernacle, nor commit deadly sin23Only the sons of Levi may serve me in the tabernacle and may carry the sins of the people. It shall be an everlasting ordinance in your generations. They shall possess nothing else24being content with the oblation of tithes, which I have separated for their uses and necessities.25And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying26"Instruct the Levites, and also declare to them: When you will receive, from the sons of Israel, the tithes, which I have given to you, offer their first-fruits to the Lord, that is, the tenth part of a tenth27so that it may be accounted to you as an oblation of the first-fruits, as much from the threshing floors as from the oil and wine presses28And offer the first-fruits of everything, from which you receive tithes, to the Lord, and give them to Aaron the priest29Everything which you shall offer from the tithes, and which you shall separate as gifts to the Lord, shall be the finest and most select30And you shall say to them: ‘If you offer the noble and the better of the tithes, it shall be accounted to you as if you had given from the first-fruits of the threshing floor and of the oil and wine presses.31And you shall eat these in all your places, both you and your families, because it is your price for the ministry, by which you serve in the tabernacle of the testimony32And you shall not sin in this way: by reserving the excellent and fat things for yourselves, lest you pollute the oblations of the sons of Israel, and lest you die.