Read Parshat Korach in English

Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;

and they rose up in face of Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty men; they were princes of the congregation, the elect men of the assembly, men of renown;

and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them: “Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?'

And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.

And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying: “In the morning the Lord will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto Him; even him whom He may choose will He cause to come near unto Him.

This do: take you censors, Korah, and all his company;

and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before the Lord to-morrow; and it shall be that the man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy; ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.’’

And Moses said unto Korah: “Hear now, ye sons of Levi:

is it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them;

and that He hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and will ye seek the priesthood also?

Therefore thou and all thy company that are gathered together against the Lord--; and as to Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him?'

And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said: “We will not come up;

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

Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.’’

And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord: “Respect not Thou their offering; I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.’’

And Moses said unto Korah: “Be thou and all thy congregation before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow;

and take ye every man his fire-pan, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his fire-pan, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; thou also, and Aaron, each his fire-pan.’’

And they took every man his fire-pan, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of meeting; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. {S}

And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying:

'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’’

And they fell upon their faces, and said: “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?' {S}

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:

'Speak unto the congregation, saying: Get you up from about the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’’

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

And he spoke unto the congregation, saying: “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be swept away in all their sins.’’

So they got them up from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.

And Moses said: “Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works, and that I have not done them of mine own mind.

If these men die the common death of all men, and be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord hath not sent Me.

But if the Lord make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have despised the Lord.’’

And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them.

And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit; and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.

And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said: “Lest the earth swallow us up.’’

And fire came forth from the Lord, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense. {S}

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:

'Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the fire-pans out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are become holy;

even the fire-pans of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar--for they are become holy, because they were offered before the Lord--that they may be a sign unto the children of Israel.’’

And Eleazar the priest took the brazen fire-pans, which they that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,

to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the Lord; that he fare not as Korah, and as his company; as the Lord spoke unto him by the hand of Moses.

But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying: “Ye have killed the people of the Lord.’’

And it came to pass, 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 the Lord appeared.

And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting. {S}

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:

'Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.’’ And they fell upon their faces.

And Moses said unto Aaron: “Take thy fire-pan, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the Lord: the plague is begun.’’

And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.

And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah.

And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of meeting, and the plague was stayed.

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:

'Speak unto 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; thou shalt write every man's name upon his rod.

And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of their fathers' houses.

And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you.

And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall choose, his rod shall bud; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.’’

And Moses spoke unto 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.

And Moses laid up the rods before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

And it came to pass on the morrow, 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 bloomed blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel; and they looked, and took every man his rod.

And the Lord said unto Moses: “Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept there, for a token against the rebellious children; that there may be made an end of their murmurings against Me, that they die not.’’

Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so did he.

And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying: “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.

Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the tabernacle of the Lord, is to die; shall we wholly perish?' {S}

And the Lord said unto Aaron: “Thou and thy sons and thy fathers' house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee, thou and thy sons with thee being before the tent of the testimony.

And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the Tent; only they shall not come nigh unto the holy furniture and unto the altar, that they die not, neither they, nor ye.

And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, whatsoever the service of the Tent may be; but a common man shall not draw nigh unto you.

And ye shall keep the charge of the holy things, and the charge of the altar, that there be wrath no more upon the children of Israel.

And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; for you they are given as a gift unto the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting.

And thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priesthood in everything that pertaineth to the altar, and to that within the veil; and ye shall serve; I give you the priesthood as a service of gift; and the common man that draweth nigh shall be put to death.’’

And the Lord spoke unto Aaron: “And I, behold, I have given thee the charge of My heave-offerings; even of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel unto thee have I given them for a consecrated portion, and to thy sons, as a due for ever.

This shall be thine 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 guilt-offering of theirs, which they may render unto Me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.

In a most holy place shalt thou eat thereof; every male may eat thereof; it shall be holy unto thee.

And this is thine: the heave-offering of their gift, even all the wave-offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever; every one that is clean in thy house may eat thereof.

All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the corn, the first part of them which they give unto the Lord, to thee have I given them.

The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thy house may eat thereof.

Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.

Every thing that openeth the womb, of all flesh which they offer unto the Lord, both of man and beast, shall be thine; howbeit the first-born of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.

And their redemption-money--from a month old shalt thou redeem them--shall be, according to thy valuation, five shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary--the same is twenty gerahs.

But the firstling of an ox, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt dash their blood against the altar, and shalt make their fat smoke for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the Lord.

And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine.

All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever; it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.’’

And the Lord said unto Aaron: “Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any portion among them; I am thy portion and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. {S}

And unto 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.

And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

But the Levites alone shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they set apart as a gift unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said unto them: Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’’

And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying:

'Moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them: When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall set apart of it a gift for the Lord, even a tithe of the tithe.

And the gift which ye set apart shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fulness of the wine-press.

Thus ye also shall set apart a gift unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and thereof ye shall give the gift which is set apart unto the Lord to Aaron the priest.

Out of all that is given you ye shall set apart all of that which is due unto the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.

Therefore thou shalt say unto them: When ye set apart the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press.

And ye may eat it in every place, ye and your households; for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting.

And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, seeing that ye have set apart from it the best thereof; and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not.’’