Numbers 16:36–17:13

³⁶And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, ³⁷‘Say unto Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, and he lifteth up the censers from the midst of the burning, and the fire scatter thou yonder, for they have been hallowed, ³⁸even the censers of these sinners against their own souls; and they have made them spread-out plates, a covering for the altar, for they have brought them near before Jehovah, and they are hallowed; and they are become a sign to the sons of Israel.’ ³⁹And Eleazar the priest taketh the brazen censers which they who are burnt had brought near, and they spread them out, a covering for the altar— ⁴⁰a memorial to the sons of Israel, so that a stranger who is not of the seed of Aaron doth not draw near to make a perfume before Jehovah, and is not as Korah, and as his company,—as Jehovah hath spoken by the hand of Moses to him.

⁴¹And all the company of the sons of Israel murmur, on the morrow, against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘Ye—ye have put to death the people of Jehovah.’ ⁴²And it cometh to pass, in the company being assembled against Moses and against Aaron, that they turn towards the tent of meeting, and lo, the cloud hath covered it, and the honour of Jehovah is seen; ⁴³and Moses cometh—Aaron also—unto the front of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁵‘Get you up from the midst of this company, and I consume them in a moment;’ and they fall on their faces, ⁴⁶and Moses saith unto Aaron, ‘Take the censer, and put on it fire from off the altar, and place perfume, and go, hasten unto the company, and make atonement for them, for the wrath hath gone out from the presence of Jehovah—the plague hath begun.’ ⁴⁷And Aaron taketh as Moses hath spoken, and runneth unto the midst of the assembly, and lo, the plague hath begun among the people; and he giveth the perfume, and maketh atonement for the people, ⁴⁸and standeth between the dead and the living, and the plague is restrained; ⁴⁹and those who die by the plague are fourteen thousand and seven hundred, apart from those who die for the matter of Korah; ⁵⁰and Aaron turneth back unto Moses, unto the opening of the tent of meeting, and the plague hath been restrained.

Chapter 17

¹And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, ²‘Speak unto the sons of Israel, and take from them each a rod, for a father’s house, from all their princes, for the house of their fathers, twelve rods; the name of each thou dost write on his rod, ³and Aaron’s name thou dost write on the tribe of Levi; for one rod is for the head of their fathers’ house: ⁴and thou hast placed them in the tent of meeting, before the testimony, where I meet with you.

⁵‘And it hath come to pass, the man’s rod on whom I fix doth flourish, and I have caused to cease from off me the murmurings of the sons of Israel, which they are murmuring against you.’ ⁶And Moses speaketh unto the sons of Israel, and all their princes give unto him one rod for a prince, one rod for a prince, for their fathers’ house, twelve rods, and the rod of Aaron is in the midst of their rods; ⁷and Moses placeth the rods before Jehovah, in the tent of the testimony.

⁸And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that Moses goeth in unto the tent of the testimony, and lo, the rod of Aaron hath flourished for the house of Levi, and is bringing out flourishing, and doth blossom blossoms, and doth produce almonds; ⁹and Moses bringeth out all the rods from before Jehovah, unto all the sons of Israel, and they look, and take each his rod. ¹⁰And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Put back the rod of Aaron, before the testimony, for a charge, for a sign to the sons of rebellion, and thou dost remove their murmurings from off me, and they do not die;’ ¹¹and Moses doth as Jehovah hath commanded him; so he hath done. ¹²And the sons of Israel speak unto Moses, saying, ‘Lo, we have expired; we have perished; we have all of us perished; ¹³any who is at all drawing near unto the tabernacle of Jehovah dieth; have we not been consumed—to expire?’

Chapter 18