Numbers 15–17

Various Sacrifices and Offerings

15Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the Israelites^a and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of your dwellings that I am about to give to you, ³you will make an offering by fire for Yahweh from the cattle or from the flock, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering or at your feasts, to make a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. ⁴And the one who presents an offering^b for Yahweh, he will present a grain offering of finely milled flour; a tenth will be mixed with a fourth of the liquid measure of oil; ⁵and you will add a fourth of wine for the libation upon the burnt offering, or to the sacrifice for each ram-lamb. ⁶Or for the ram you will make a grain offering of two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed into a third of a liquid measure of oil. ⁷You will present a third of the liquid measure of wine for the libation, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. ⁸When you prepare a bull^c as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a fellowship offering for Yahweh, ⁹you will present with the bull^d a grain offering of three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with half a liquid measure of oil, ¹⁰and you will present half a liquid measure of wine as a libation, as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

¹¹“ ‘This is how it should be done for each bull, or for the each ram, or for the small four-footed mammal, or ram-lambs, or goats. ¹²According to the number that you prepare, so should you do to each according to their number. ¹³Every native must do these things to present an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. ¹⁴If an alien dwells among you, or whoever is in your midst throughout your generations,^e and prepares an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, he should do as you do. ¹⁵For the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells among you; it is an eternal decree for all your generations. You as well as the alien^f will be before Yahweh.^{g 16}There will be one law and one stipulation for you and for the alien dwelling among you.’ ”

¹⁷Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸“Speak to the Israelites^h and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to which I am about to bring you, ¹⁹whenever you eat from the food of the land, you will lift up a contribution to Yahweh. ²⁰You must lift up a contribution of the first batch of your ring-shaped dough bread; you must lift it up as a contribution of the threshing floor. ²¹You will give to Yahweh a contribution from the first of your dough throughout your generations.ⁱ

²²“ ‘But if you go astray and you do not follow^j all these commandments that Yahweh commanded to Moses, ²³all that Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses^k from the day that Yahweh commanded and beyond, throughout your generations,^{l 24}and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge^m of the community, then the entire community must prepare one young bullⁿ as a burnt offering, as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, and its grain offering and its libation, according to the stipulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. ²⁵The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the Israelites,^o and they will be forgiven^p because it was unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering before Yahweh^q for their unintentional sin. ²⁶All of the community of the Israelites^r will be forgiven, as well as the alien that dwells in their midst, because the whole community was involved in the unintentional wrong.

²⁷“ ‘If one person sins unintentionally, that person will present a female goat in its first year^s as a sin offering. ²⁸And the priest will make atonement for the person who sinned unintentionally^t before Yahweh,^u to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. ²⁹For the native among the Israelites^v and the alien that dwells in their midst, there will be one law for anyone who commits an unintentional wrong. ³⁰But the one who acts presumptuously^w from among the native or alien blasphemes against Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from the midst of the people. ³¹Because he despised the word of Yahweh and broke his command, that person will be surely cut off and bear the guilt.’ ”

Violation of the Sabbath

³²When the Israelites^x were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. ³³The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. ³⁴And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. ³⁵And Yahweh said to Moses, “Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community must stone him with stones from outside the camp.” ³⁶So the entire community brought him out to a place outside the camp, and they stoned him to death^y just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Garment Fringes

³⁷Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁸“Speak to the Israelites,^z and tell them to make for themselves tassels^a on the hems of their garments throughout their generations^b and to put a blue cord on the tassel of the hem. ³⁹You will have a tassel for you to look at^c and remember all the commands of Yahweh and do them, and not follow after the unfaithfulness of your own heart and eyes,^{d 40}so that you will remember and do all my commandments, and you will be holy for your God. ⁴¹I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram Rebel

16Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, the descendants^a of Reuben, ²took two hundred and fifty men from the Israelites,^b leaders of the community summoned from the assembly, renowned men,^c and they confronted^d Moses. ³They were assembled in front of Moses and Aaron, and they said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves!^e All of the community is holy, every one of them, and Yahweh is in their midst, so why do you raise yourselves over the assembly of Yahweh?”

⁴When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. ⁵And he said to Korah and to his entire company, saying, “Tomorrow morning Yahweh will make known who is his and who is holy, and he will bring him near to him, whomever he chooses he will bring near to him. ⁶Do this: take for yourselves censers, Korah and all of your company;^{f 7}tomorrow put fire in them and place incense on them before^g Yahweh; the man whom Yahweh chooses will be the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi!”

⁸And Moses said to Korah, “Please listen, sons of Levi! ⁹Is it too little for you that the God of Israel set you apart from the community of Israel to allow you to approach him^h to do the work of the tabernacle of Yahweh, to stand beforeⁱ the community to serve them? ¹⁰He has allowed you to approach him,^j you with all your brothers, the descendants^k of Levi, but yet you also seek the priesthood. ¹¹Therefore you and your company have banded together against Yahweh. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

¹²Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram son of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!^{l 13}Is it too little that you have brought us from a land that flows with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, and that you also appoint yourself as a ruler over us? ¹⁴Surely, you have not brought us to a land that flows with milk and honey, and you have not given us the inheritance of fields and a vineyard. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”^m

¹⁵Then Moses became angry, and he said to Yahweh, “Do not notice their grain offering. I have not offered one donkey from them, and I have not mistreated one of them.” ¹⁶And Moses said to Korah, “You and your entire company will be beforeⁿ Yahweh tomorrow, you and they and Aaron. ¹⁷Each one take his censer, and put incense on it^o and you will present it before^p Yahweh, and each of you bring his censer, two hundred and fifty censers, you and Aaron, each his censer.” ¹⁸So each of them took his censer, and they put fire on them, and they placed incense on them; they stood at the doorway of the tent of the assembly of Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹And Korah summoned them, the entire community, by the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the community.

²⁰And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ²¹“Separate yourselves from the midst of this community, that I can destroy them in a moment.” ²²And they fell on their faces, and they said, “God, God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and you become angry toward the entire community?”

²³Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴“Speak to the community, saying, ‘Move away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ” ²⁵So Moses stood up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed after him. ²⁶He said to the community, saying, “Please turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them,^q or you will be destroyed with all their sins.” ²⁷And so they moved away from around the dwellings^r of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out standing at the doorway of their tents, with their wives, sons, and little children. ²⁸And Moses said, “In this you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; it is not from my heart. ²⁹If they die a natural death^s or if a natural fate is visited upon them,^t Yahweh has not sent me. ³⁰But if Yahweh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up and all that belongs to them,^u and they go down alive to Sheol, and you will know that these men have despised Yahweh.”

³¹And it happened, as soon as he finished speaking^v all these words, the ground that was under them split open. ³²The land opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their houses and every person that belonged to Korah^w and all the property. ³³They went down alive to…