Korach means “Korah.”
| Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 16:1-18:32 |
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 16
Korah’s Rebellion
1Now Qoraḥ son of Yitshar, the son of Qehath son of Luiy, along with some Re’uḇěnites—Dathan and Qehath, sons of Eliyaḇ, and On son of Peleth—conducted 2 a rebellion against Moshe, along with 250 men of Yasharal renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly. 3 They came together against Moshe and Aharon and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is set apart, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄?”
4 When Moshe heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will reveal who belongs to Him and who is set apart, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near to Himself. 6 You, Qoraḥ, and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers, 7 and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. Then the man 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you sons of Luiy who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
8 Moshe also said to Qoraḥ, “Now listen, you sons of Luiy! 9 Is it not enough for you that the Alahym of Yasharal has separated you from the congregation of Yasharal and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? 10 He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Luiyites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well. 11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄! As for Aharon, who is he that you should grumble against him?”
12 Then Moshe summoned Dathan and Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, but they said, “We will not come! 13 Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us? 14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”
15 Then Moshe became very angry and said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”
16 And Moshe said to Qoraḥ, “You and all your followers are to appear before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 tomorrow—you and they and Aharon. 17 Each man is to take his censer, place incense in it, and present it before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 – YAHUAH—250 censers. You and Aharon are to present your censers as well.”
18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moshe and Aharon at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Qoraḥ had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the esteem of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 appeared to the whole congregation.
20 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe and Aharon, 21 “Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
22 But Moshe and Aharon fell facedown and said, “O Alahym, the Alahym of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Moshe Separates the People
23 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, 24 “Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram.”
25 So Moshe got up and went to Dathan and Aḇiram, and the elders of Yasharal followed him. 26 And he warned the congregation, “Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”
27 So they moved away from the dwellings of Qoraḥ, Dathan, and Aḇiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Aḇiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.
The Earth Swallows Qoraḥ
28 Then Moshe said, “This is how you will know that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing: 29 If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has not sent me. 30 But if 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into She’ol, then you will know that these men have treated 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 with contempt.”
31 As soon as Moshe had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Qoraḥ’s men and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into She’ol with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.
34 At their cries, all the people of Yasharal who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!” 35 And fire came forth from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The Censers Reserved for Set Apart Use
36 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aharon the priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away, because the censers are set apart. 38 As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar, for these were presented before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and so have become set apart. They will serve as a sign to the Yasharalites.”
39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40 just as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 commanded him through Moshe. This was to be a reminder to the Yasharalites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aharon should approach to offer incense before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, lest he become like Qoraḥ and his followers.
Murmuring and Plague (1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
41 The next day the whole congregation of Yasharal grumbled against Moshe and Aharon, saying, “You have killed 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s people!” 42 But when the congregation gathered against them, Moshe and Aharon turned toward the Tent of Meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it and the esteem of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 appeared.
43 Then Moshe and Aharon went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, 44 and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, 45 “Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moshe and Aharon fell facedown.
46 Moshe said to Aharon, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄; the plague has begun.”
47 So Aharon took the censer as Moshe had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague was halted. 49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of Qoraḥ.
50 Then Aharon returned to Moshe at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been halted.
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 17
Aharon’s Staff Buds
1 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, 2 “Speak to the Yasharalites and take from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write each man’s name on his staff, 3 and write Aharon’s name on the staff of Luiy, because there must be one staff for the head of each tribe. 4 Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Witness, where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Yasharalites against you.”
6 So Moshe spoke to the Yasharalites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff—one for each of the leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. And Aharon’s staff was among them. 7 Then Moshe placed the staffs before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in the Tent of the Testimony.
8 The next day Moshe entered the Tent of the Witness and saw that Aharon’s staff, representing the house of Luiy, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and produced almonds. 9 Then Moshe brought out all the staffs from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s presence to all the Yasharalites. They saw them, and each man took his own staff.
10 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, “Put Aharon’s staff back in front of the Witness, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.” 11 So Moshe did as 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had commanded him.
12 Then the Yasharalites declared to Moshe, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost! 13 Anyone who comes near the tabernacle of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will die. Are we all going to perish?”
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 18
Duties of Priests and Levites
1 So 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Aharon, “You and your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving the set apart place. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity involving your priesthood. 2 But bring with you also your brothers from the tribe of Luiy the tribe of your father, that they may join you and assist you and your sons before the Tent of the Witness. 3 And they shall attend to your duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come near to the furnishings of the set apart place or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent; but no outsider may come near you.
5 And you shall attend to the duties of the set apart place and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on the Yasharalites again. 6 Behold, I Myself have selected your fellow Luiyites from the Yasharalites as a gift to you, dedicated to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to perform the service for the Tent of Meeting. 7 But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the set apart place must be put to death.”
Offerings for Priests and Levites
8 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Aharon, “Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the set apart offerings of the Yasharalites, I have given them to you and your sons as a portion and a permanent statute. 9 A portion of the most set apart offerings reserved from the fire will be yours. From all the offerings they render to Me as most set apart offerings, whether grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 You are to eat it as a most set apart offering, and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as set apart.
11 And this is yours as well: the offering of their gifts, along with all the wave offerings of the Yasharalites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat it. 12 I give you all the freshest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Yasharalites give to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 as their firstfruits. 13 The firstfruits of everything in their land that they bring to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will belong to you. Every ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them.
14 Every devoted thing in Yasharal belongs to you. 15 The firstborn of every womb, whether man or beast, that is offered to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 belongs to you. But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 You are to pay the redemption price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs.
17 But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are set apart. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 – YAHUAH. 18 And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.
19 All the set apart offerings that the Yasharalites present to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, I give to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 for you and your offspring.”
20 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Aharon, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the Yasharalites.
21 Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Yasharal as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting. 22 No longer may the Yasharalites come near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.
23 The Luiyiim are to perform the work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The Luiyiim will not receive an inheritance among the Yasharalites. 24 For I have given to the Luiyiim as their inheritance the tithe that the Yasharalites present to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Yasharalites.”
25 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 instructed Moshe, 26 “Speak to the Luiyiim and tell them: ‘When you receive from the Yasharalites the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄—a tithe of the tithe. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 So you are to present an offering to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 from all the tithes you receive from the Yasharalites, and from these you are to give 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s offering to Aharon the priest. 29 You must present the offering due to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 from all the best of every gift, the most set apart portion of it.’
30 Therefore say to the Luiyiim, ‘When you have presented the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the produce of the threshing floor or winepress. 31 And you and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32 Once you have presented the best part of it, you will not incur guilt because of it. But you must not defile the set apart offerings of the Yasharalites, or else you will die.’ ”
| Shemu’al Aleph (1 Samuel) 11:14-12:22 |
Shemu’al Aleph (1 Samuel) Chapter 11
Sha’ul Becomes King
14 Then Shemu’al said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Sha’ul as king in the presence of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄. There they sacrificed peace offerings before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and Sha’ul and all the Yasharalites rejoiced greatly.
Shemu’al Aleph (1 Samuel) Chapter 12
Shemu’al’s Farewell Address
1Then Shemu’al said to all Yasharal, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king. 2 Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
3 Here I am. Bear witness against me before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
4 “You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”
5 Shemu’al said to them, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
“He is a witness,” they replied.
6 Then Shemu’al said to the people, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is the One who appointed Moshe and Aharon, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Mitsrayim. 7 Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.
8 When Ya‛aqoḇ went to Mitsrayim, your fathers cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and He sent them Moshe and Aharon, who brought your fathers out of Mitsrayim and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Alahym, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the army of Ḥatsor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Mo’aḇ, who fought against them.
10 Then they cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and served the Ba‛als and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’
11 So 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 sent Yerubba‛al, and Beḏan, and Yiphtaḥ, and Shemu’al, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely. 12 But when you saw that Naḥash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Alahym was your king.
13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has placed a king over you.
14 If you fear 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Alahym, then all will be well. 15 But if you disobey 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and rebel against His command, then the hand of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will be against you as it was against your fathers.
16 Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 by asking for a king.”
18 So Shemu’al called to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and on that day 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 sent thunder and rain.
As a result, all the people greatly feared 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and Shemu’al. 19 They pleaded with Shemu’al, “Pray to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Alahym for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Shemu’al replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, but serve 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 with all your heart. 21 Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty. 22 Indeed, for the sake of His Great Name, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.
| Ma`asei (Acts) 5:1-11 |
Ma`asei (Acts) Chapter 5
Ḥananyah and Shappirah
1Now a man named Ḥananyah, together with his wife Shappirah, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Kěpha said, “ Ḥananyah, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Set Apart Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the land? 4 Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to Alahym!”
5 On hearing these words, Ḥananyah fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened. 6 Then the young men stepped forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife also came in, unaware of what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” said Kěpha, “is this the price you and your husband got for the land?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that is the price.”
9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄?” Kěpha replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole assembly and all who heard about these events.
