And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of Jehovah, and sat before me.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Is it to inquire of me that ye are come? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you.
Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? Cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when I chose Israel, and {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware unto them, saying, I am Jehovah your God;
in that day I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.
And I said unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am Jehovah your God.
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
And I gave them my statutes, and {Hebrew: made them to know.}showed them mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live {Or, by}in them.
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that {Or, I, Jehovah, do sanctify them}I am Jehovah that sanctifieth them.
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live {Or, by}in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
Moreover also I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
because they rejected mine ordinances, and walked not in my statutes, and profaned my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
Nevertheless mine eye spared them, and I destroyed them not, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.
And I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
I am Jehovah your God: walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them;
and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am Jehovah your God.
But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live {Or, by}in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.
Moreover I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;
because they had not executed mine ordinances, but had rejected my statutes, and had profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.
Moreover also I gave them statutes that were not good, and ordinances {Or, whereby}wherein they should not live;
and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they {Or, set apart all See Exodus 13:12.}caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Jehovah.
Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.
For when I had brought them into the land, which I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware to give unto them, then they {Or, looked out for}saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering; there also they made their sweet savor, and they poured out there their drink-offerings.
Then I said unto them, What meaneth the high place {Or, whereunto ye go, and the name whereof…day?}whereunto ye go? So the name thereof is called {That is, High place.}Bamah unto this day.
Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Do ye pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers? and play ye the harlot after their abominations?
and when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, do ye pollute yourselves with all your idols unto this day? and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I will not be inquired of by you;
and that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, in that ye say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you.
And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out;
and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face.
Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, saith the Lord Jehovah.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Go ye, serve every one his idols, {Or, but hereafter surely he shall hearken unto me and &c.}and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me; but my holy name shall ye no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.
For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve me in the land: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the {Or, chief}first-fruits of your {Or, tribute}oblations, with all your holy things.
{Or, With}As a sweet savor will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware to give unto your fathers.
And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have polluted yourselves; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have dealt with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.
{[Chapter 21:1 in Hebrew]}And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;
and say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby.
And all flesh shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
Then said I, Ah Lord Jehovah! they say of me, Is he not a speaker of parables?
Querverweise zu Hesekiel 20,36 Hes 20,36
But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they rejected mine ordinances, which if a man keep, he shall live {Or, by}in them; and my sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
But the children rebelled against me; they walked not in my statutes, neither kept mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live {Or, by}in them; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people.
And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil.
For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off: so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a {Hebrew: whispering.}derision among their enemies,)
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on Jehovah's side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
And Moses said, {Hebrew: Fill your hand.}Consecrate yourselves to-day to Jehovah, {Or, for every man hath been against his son and against his brother}yea, every man {Or, upon}against his son, and {Or, upon}against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin.
And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
And now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.
And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
And the people were as murmurers, {Or, which was evil}speaking evil in the ears of Jehovah: and when Jehovah heard it, his anger was kindled; and the fire of Jehovah burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp.
And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto Jehovah, and the fire abated.
And the name of that place was called {That is, Burning.}Taberah, because the fire of Jehovah burnt among them.
And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:
but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon.
And the manna was like coriander seed, and the {Hebrew: eye.}appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.
The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of {Or, cakes baked with oil}fresh oil.
And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell {Or, with}upon it.
And Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.
And Moses said unto Jehovah, Wherefore hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.
I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee.
And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,
but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Shall flocks and herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Is Jehovah's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
And Moses went out, and told the people the words of Jehovah: and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.
And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.
But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, {Or, from his youth}one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!
And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall {Or, over}by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.
And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague.
And the name of that place was called {That is, The graves of lust.}Kibrothhattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted.
From Kibrothhattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness!
And wherefore doth Jehovah bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes:
and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.
If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their {Hebrew: shadow.}defence is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.
But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the children of Israel.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them?
I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.
And Moses said unto Jehovah, Then the Egyptians will hear it; for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;
and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou Jehovah art in the midst of this people; for thou Jehovah art seen {Hebrew: eye to eye.}face to face, and thy cloud standeth over them, and thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.
Now if thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
Because Jehovah was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
And now, I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
Jehovah is slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.
Pardon, I pray thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy lovingkindness, and according as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
And Jehovah said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah;
because all those men that have seen my glory, and my signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it:
but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: to-morrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
Say unto them, As I live, saith Jehovah, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me,
surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I {Hebrew: lifted up my hand.}sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
But your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected.
But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.
And your children shall be {Hebrew: shepherds.}wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whoredoms, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.
After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know {Or, the revoking of my promise}my alienation.
I, Jehovah, have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.
And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,
even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Jehovah.
But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men that went to spy out the land.
And Moses told these words unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up to the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we are here, and will go up unto the place which Jehovah hath promised: for we have sinned.
And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of Jehovah, seeing it shall not prosper?
Go not up, for Jehovah is not among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies.
For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned back from following Jehovah, therefore Jehovah will not be with you.
But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.
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 before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown;
and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, {Hebrew: It is enough for you.}Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and Jehovah is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of Jehovah?
And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
and he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, In the morning Jehovah will show who are his, and who is holy, and {Or, whom he will cause to come near}will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near unto him.
This do: take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
and put fire in them, and put incense upon them before Jehovah to-morrow: and it shall be that the man whom Jehovah 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:
seemeth 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 Jehovah, 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 seek ye the priesthood also?
Therefore thou and all thy company are gathered together against Jehovah: and 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 {Hebrew: bore out.}put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto Jehovah, 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 company before Jehovah, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow:
and take ye every man his censer, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before Jehovah every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each his censer.
And they took every man his censer, 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 Jehovah appeared unto all the congregation.
And Jehovah spake 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?
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
So they gat them up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones.
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that Jehovah hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Jehovah hath not sent me.
But if Jehovah {Hebrew: create a creation.}make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down alive into Sheol; then ye shall understand that these men have despised Jehovah.
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them;
and the earth opened its 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 Sheol: 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 Jehovah, and devoured the two hundred and fifty men that offered the incense.
{[Chapter 27:1 in Hebrew]}And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are holy,
even the censers of {Or, these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives}these sinners against their own {Or, souls}lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Jehovah; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, 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 stranger, that is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before Jehovah; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as Jehovah spake unto him by 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 Jehovah.
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 Jehovah appeared.
And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting.
And Jehovah spake 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 censer, 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 Jehovah; the plague is begun.
And Aaron took as Moses spake, 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 Israel abode in Shittim; and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab:
for they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
And Israel {Or, yoked}joined himself unto {Or, the Baal of Peor See chapter 23:28.}Baal-peor: and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel.
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto Jehovah before the sun, that the fierce anger of Jehovah may turn away from Israel.
And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto Baal-peor.
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of meeting.
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand;
and he went after the man of Israel into the {Or, alcove}pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:
and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.
Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers' house among the Simeonites.
And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers' house in Midian.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Vex the Midianites, and smite them;
for they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.
And he gave them their request,But sent leanness into their soul.
They envied Moses also in the camp,And Aaron the {Or, holy one}saint of Jehovah.
The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,And covered the company of Abiram.
And a fire was kindled in their company;The flame burned up the wicked.
They made a calf in Horeb,And worshipped a molten image.
Thus they changed their gloryFor the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.
They forgat God their Saviour,Who had done great things in Egypt,
Wondrous works in the land of Ham,And terrible things by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said that he would destroy them,Had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach,To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
Yea, they despised the pleasant land,They believed not his word,
But murmured in their tents,And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.
Therefore he {Hebrew: lifted up his hand.}sware unto them,That he would {Hebrew: make them fall.}overthrow them in the wilderness,
And that he would overthrow their seed among the nations,And scatter them in the lands.
They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor,And ate the sacrifices of the dead.
Thus they provoked him to anger with their doings;And the plague brake in upon them.
Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;And so the plague was stayed.
And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,Unto all generations for evermore.
They angered him also at the waters of {Or, strife}Meribah,So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;
Because they were rebellious against his spirit,And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.
They did not destroy the peoples,As Jehovah commanded them,
But mingled themselves with the nations,And learned their works,
And served their idols,Which became a snare unto them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto demons,
And shed innocent blood,Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;And the land was polluted with blood.
Thus were they defiled with their works,And played the harlot in their doings.
Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against his people,And he abhorred his inheritance.
And he gave them into the hand of the nations;And they that hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed them,And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
Many times did he deliver them;But they were rebellious in their counsel,And were brought low in their iniquity.
Nevertheless he regarded their distress,When he heard their cry:
And he remembered for them his covenant,And repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindness.
He made them also to be pitiedOf all those that carried them captive.
Save us, O Jehovah our God,And gather us from among the nations,To give thanks unto thy holy name,And to triumph in thy praise.
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,From everlasting even to everlasting.And let all the people say, Amen. {Hebrew: Hallelujah.}Praise ye Jehovah.
Howbeit with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now {Or, in these things they became figures of us}these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, {Exodus 32:6.}The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
Neither let us make trial of the {Some ancient authorities read Christ.}Lord, as some of them made trial, and perished by the serpents.
Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.