19 at the doors of the tabernacle of the testimony; and Kore had collected against them all his company, at the doors of the tabernacle of the testimony, the glory of the Lord appeared to 20 the whole congregation. And the Lord spoke to Moses and 21 Aaron saying, Separate yourselves from among this congre22 gation, and I will consume them all at once. At this they fell

on their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits even of all flesh! If one man hath sinned, is the wrath of the Lord 23 against the whole congregation? Then the Lord spoke to Mo

ses, saying, Speak to the congregation, and say, Withdraw all 24 around from the congregation of Kore. Accordingly Moscs, 25 arose, and went to Dathan and Abiron; and all the elders of 26 Israel accompanied him. And he spoke to the congregation,

saying, Separate yourselves from the tents of these wicked men, and touch not any of the things which belong to them, 27 lest you be consumed with them in their sins. And when they had drawn back, all around, from the tent of Kore, Dathan and Abiron came out, and stood at the doors of their tents, 28 with their wives and their children, and their attendants. And Moses said, By this you shall know that the Lord hath sent 29 me to do all these works, and that they are not of myself.-If these men die the common death of all men; or if their visitation be according to the visitation of all men, the Lord 30 hath not sent me: but if the Lord demonstrate by a miracle, and the earth opening its mouth, shall swallow up them and their households, and their tents, and all that belong to them; and they go down alive to the mansion of the dead; then you 31 will know that these men have provoked the Lord. And when he had made an end of speaking all these words, the earth was 32 rent under them; and the earth opened; and it swallowed up

them, and their households, and all the men who were with 33 Kore, and all their cattle. And they, and all that belonged to

them, went down alive to the mansion of the dead, and the 34 earth covered them. And they were destroyed from among the congregation. And all the Israelites who were around them fled at their cry; for they said, Perhaps the earth may swallow 35 us up. And there went forth a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, who were offering in

cense!

36

Then the Lord said to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, the son of Aaron, Gather up the brasen censers from among 37 them who were burned; but as for the strange fire, scatter it 38 there. Because they have hallowed the censers of these sinful men with their lives, therefore make them up into thin plates, as a cover for the altar. Because they were presented before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed, and made a sign for the 39 children of Israel. So Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, took the brasen censers which they who were burned up had 40 presented; and of them made a cover for the altar, a memorial to the children of Israel, that none of another family, who is not of the seed of Aaron, should come near to present incense before the Lord, lest he be like Kore, and his confederacy, as the Lord spoke to him by the ministry of Moses.

41

On the next day, when the people murmured against Mo42 ses and Aaron, saying, You have slain the people of the Lord— when, in their insurrection against Moses and Aaron, the congregation were rushing upon the tabernacle of the testimony, 43 the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared: And

Moses went in, with Aaron, in front of the tabernacle of the 44 testimony, and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 45 Withdraw from among this congregation, and I will destroy 46 them all at once. Whereupon they fell on their face. And Moses said to Aaron, Take the censer, and put therein fire from. the altar, and throw incense on it, and carry it with all haste to the camp, and make atonement for them; for wrath is gone forth from the presence of the Lord, and hath begun to slay 47 the people. So Aaron took as Moses commanded him, and

ran into the congregation; (Now the destruction among the people had already begun) and he threw on the incense, and 48 made atonement for the people, and stood between the dead 49 and the living; and the plague ceased. Now they who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on the account of Kore.

50

When Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the taberXVII. nacle of the testimony, and the plague had ceased, the 2 Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and take of them a staff-a staff for every house of patriarchal families-from all the chiefs of the respective houses of patri

3'archal families twelve staves; and write every one's name on his staff; and on the staff of Levi write Aaron's name; for he is one staff. The chief of the house of the head family in every 4 tribe shall give; and thou shalt lay them in the tabernacle of 5 the testimony, over against the testimony. By these I will there make myself known to thee; and it shall come to pass, that the staff of the man whom I will chuse, shall bloom; and I will remove from me this murmuring of the children of Israel, which 6 they murmur against you. So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and all the chiefs gave him, every one a staff-for every chief a staff, according to the houses of their patriarchal fami7 lies, twelve staves, with Aaron's staff among theirs. And Moses laid the staves before the Lord in the tabernacle of the tes8 timony. And on the next day when Moses went in, with Aaron, into the tabernacle of the testimony, behold Aaron's staff, for the house of Levi, had bloomed, and brought forth a bud, and 9 had shot forth blossoms, and produced almonds. And Moses brought out all the staves from the presence of the Lord, before all the children of Israel. And when they saw and had 10 taken, every one his staff, the Lord said to Moses, Lay up Aaron's staff again before the testimonies, to be kept as a sign for the children of these rebellious men; and let their murmur11 ing cease from me that they may not die. So Moses and Aaron 12 did as the Lord commanded Moses. And when they had done

so, the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, Behold, we have been wasted, we have been destroyed, we have been cut off 13 suddenly; every one who toucheth the tabernacle of the Lord XVIII. dieth. Must we all die? whereupon the Lord spoke to

Aaron, saying, Thou, and thy sons, and the house of thy father, 2 shall bear the sins of the holy things; and thou, and thy sons, shall bear the sins of your priesthood; take therefore to thyself thy brethren, the tribe of Levi, the community of thy father, and let them be joined to thee, and perform holy service for thee. 3 While thou, and thy sons with thee, are before the tabernacle of the testimony, they shall keep guard for thee, and guard the tabernacle of the testimony: but let them not approach to the holy utensils, nor to the altar, lest they die, and you with them. 4 They shall be joined with thee, and shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony, according to all the holy services

of the tabernacle, and none of another family shall come to thee. 5 And you shall keep the charge of the holy things, and of the altar, so that there shall not be wrath among the children of Is6 rael. I have indeed taken your brethren, the Levites; from among the children of Israel, as a gift presented to the Lord to 7 perform the services of the tabernacle of the testimony; therefore thou, and thy sons with thee, shall keep your priesthood, as far as the altar is concerned, and what is within the veil; and you shall perform these services as a privilege of your priesthood; and any one of another family who approacheth shall be put to death.

8

Moreover the Lord said to Aaron, Behold I have given you the charge of the separated portions taken from all the dedications made to me by the children of Israel. To thee I 9 have given them for a reward; and to thy sons after thee. Let this therefore be your perpetual due from the hallowed dedications of the homage offerings-from all their gifts, and from all their sacrifices, and from all their trespass offerings, and from all their sin offerings. Whatever they give me, a portion of the hallow10 ed things shall be for thee and thy sons. In the holy place of

the holies you shall eat them. Every male, namely, thou and il thy sons shall eat them. They shall be hallowed to thee. You shall have also a portion from the dedications which the Israelites make by setting apart, and from all the dedications made by being laid on hands-These I have given to thee, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee, as an everlasting due. 12 Every one in thy house, who is clean, may eat these. Every

dedication of oil, and every dedication of wine, every dedication of food of all kinds which they give to the Lord, these I 13 have given to thee. All the first fruits in their land, which they

bring for the Lord, shall belong to thee. Every one in thy 14 house, who is clean, may eat these. Every thing which is de15 voted by the children of Israel shall belong to thee. And every

firstling of all flesh, which they bring for the Lord, whether of man or beast, shall belong to thee: but the first born of man shall be redeemed, and thou shalt cause them to redeem the 16 firstlings of all cattle which are not clean. Now the redemption

of the former, at a month old, shall be the set price of five she17 kels after the holy shekel, which is twenty oboli: but the first

lings of kine, and the firstlings of sheep, and the firstlings of goats, thou shalt not suffer them to redeem. They are hallowed; therefore thou shalt pour out their blood before the altar, and offer their suet as an offering of homage, for a smell of fra18 grance for the Lord. And the flesh shall be for thee. Like the

dedicated breast, and like the right shoulder, it shall be thine. 19 Every dedication of holy things, which the children of Israel set apart for the Lord, I have given to thee, and thy sons, and thy daughters, as an everlasting due. It is a covenant of salt for ever, before the Lord, with thee and thy seed after thee. 20

Moreover the Lord said to Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, nor shalt thou have a portion among them; for I am thy portion, and thy inheritance, among the 21 children of Israel. And behold I have given the Levites all the 22 tenth in Israel, as a portion for their services. Inasmuch as they

are to perform service at the tabernacle of the testimony, and the children of Israel are no more to come to the tabernacle of 23 the testimony, to bear a sin which incurreth death, but the Levites themselves are to perform the service of the tabernacle, and to bear their sins, this shall be a perpetual due for their generations, and they shall have no inheritance among the chil24 dren of Israel. Because I have given the Levites for their portion the tithes of the children of Israel, which they set apart for the Lord, as a dedication, therefore I have said to them, they shall have no lot of inheritance among the Israelites.

25

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Thou shalt speak to the Levites and say to them; When you take from the chil26 dren of Israel the tenth which I have given you from them for 27 a lot of inheritance, you shall set apart from it, as a dedication

for the Lord, a tenth of the tenth; and these dedications of yours shall be reckoned to you as corn from the threshing 28 floor, and as a dedication from the press. Thus you shall acquit yourselves of all the dedications of the Lord-of all your 29 tenths which you receive from the children of Israel. And you shall give the dedication set apart from it for the Lord to Aaron the priest. From all your gifts you shall set apart a dedication for the Lord, and from all the first fruits, the hallowed 30 part of it. Moreover thou shalt say unto them, When you set apart the first fruits of it, then it shall be reckoned to the Le