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from among this congregation, that I may 22 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 23 congregation? And the LORD spake unto 24 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 26 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 con27 sumed in all their sins. So they went 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 28 their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own 29 mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the 20 LORD hath not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertains unto them, and they go down alive into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

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And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under 82 them: and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men who appertained unto 23 Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among 84 the congregation. And all Israel who

were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said, Lest the earth swal35 low us up also. And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who offered incense. 36 And the LORD spake unto Moses, say87 ing, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron

the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire 88 yonder; for they are hallowed. Of the censers of these sinners against their own lives, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar; for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign 89 unto the children of Israel. And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith those who were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a 40 covering of the altar: to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, who is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

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But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have 42 killed the people of the LORD. And it came to pass, when the congregation were gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud

appeared. And Moses and Aaron came 43 before the tabernacle of the congregation. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 44 Get you up from among this congregation, 45 that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces. And Moses 46 said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. And Aaron 47 took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he 48 stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Now they who 49 died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside those who died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron 50 returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, say- 17 ing, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. And thou shalt 3 write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt 4 lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. And it shall come to 5 pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

And Moses spake unto the children of 6 Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to his father's house, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses laid up the rods before 7 the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

And it came to pass, that on the morrow 8 Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Moses brought out all the 9 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, Bring 10 Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. And 11 Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.

And the children of Israel spake unto 12 Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. Whosoever approacheth the 13 tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying? And the 18 LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's 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 2 brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minis

ter unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle 3 of witness. And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that 4 neither they, nor ye also, die. And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle : and a stranger shall not come nigh unto 5 you. And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the 6 children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congrega7 tion. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the rail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift and the stranger who cometh nigh shall be put to death.

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of my heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every thank offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most 10 holy for thee and for thy sons. In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto 11 thee. And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy danghters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one who is clean in thy house shall 12 eat of it. All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one who is clean in 14 thy house shall eat of it. Every thing de13 voted in Israel shall be thine. Every thing that openeth the womb in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts 16 shalt thou redeem. And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the 29 LORD. And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right 19 shoulder are thine. All the heave offer

ings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given to thee, and to thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of everlasting duration before the

LORD unto thee and to thy seed with

thee.

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou 20 shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inherit ance among the children of Israel. And, 21 behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Neither must the children 22 of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the 23 service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the chil- 24 dren of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 25 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say 26 unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe. And 27 this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer a heave 28 offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest. Out of 29 all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When 30 ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress. And ye 31 shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. And ye shall bear no sin by reason 32 of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

And the LORD spake unto Moses and 19 unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Is rael, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: and ye shall 3 give it unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring it forth without the camp, and one shall slay it before his face: and Eleazar 4 the priest shall take of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle of its blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: and one shall burn the heifer 5 in his sight; its skin, and its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall he burn: and 6 the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then the 7 priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the evening. And 8 he who burneth it shall wash his clothes in

water, and bathe his flesh in water, and 9 shall be unclean until the evening. And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it 10 is a purification for sin. And he who gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever.

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He who toucheth the dead body of any 12 man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day, then he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself on the third day, and on the seventh day, he shall 13 not be clean. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man who is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD, and shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon 14 him. This is the law, when a man dieth

in a tent all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean 15 seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. 16 And whosoever toucheth one who is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

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And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water 18 shall be put thereto in a vessel: and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons who were there, and upon him who touched a bone, or one slain, or one 19 dead, or a grave: and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe in water, 20 and shall be clean at evening. But the man who shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that person shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been 21 sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he who sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he who toucheth the water of separation shall be 22 unclean until evening. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and he who toucheth it shall be unclean until evening.

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THEN came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses, and spake, saying, Oh that we had died when 4 our brethren died before the LORD! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we 5 and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil

place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

And Moses and Aaron went from the 6 presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces and cried unto God: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them. And the LORD spake unto 7 Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather 8 thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth its water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

And Moses took the rod from before the 9 LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses 10 and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses 11 lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

And the LORD spake unto Moses and 12 Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribal 13 [STRIFE]; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanetified in them.

And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh 14 unto the king of Edom, Thus say thy brethren the Israelites, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us: how our fa- 15 thers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyp tians vexed us, and our fathers: and when 10 we cried unto the LORD, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border: let us pass, I pray thee, through 17 thy country: we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. And Edom 18 said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. And the children of Israel said unto him, 49 We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet. And 20 he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus 21 Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.

AND the children of Israel, even the 2 whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor.

And the LORD spake unto Moses and 23 Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be ga- 2 thered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his 25 son, and bring them up unto mount for: and strip Aaron of his garments, and put 26

them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron | shall be gathered unto his people, and 27 shall die there. And Moses did as the LORD commanded: and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congre28 gation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came 29 down from the mount. And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel

21 And when the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the south, heard that Israel came by the way of Atherim; then he fought against Israel, and took some of 2 them prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah [THE DEVOTED PLACE]. 4 AND they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the people were much 5 discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light 6 bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; 7 and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the peo8 ple. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole : and every one who is bitten, when 9 he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass,

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he lived.

And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in Oboth.

And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

12 FROM thence they removed, and pitch13 ed in the valley of Zared. From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, be14 tween Moab and the Amorites. Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD,

What he did in the Red Sea,
And in the brooks of Arnon,
15 And at the stream of the brooks
That goeth down to the dwelling of Ar,
And leth upon the border of Moab.

15 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, 1 and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this song,

Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
Н

And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah : and from Mattanah to Naha- 19 liel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth: and 20 from Bamoth in the valley, that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

AND Israel sent messengers unto Sihon 21 king of the Amorites, saying, Let me pass 22 through thy land: we will not turn into

the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well; but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders. And Sihon would 23 not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. And Israel smote 24 him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. And Israel took all these cities: 25 and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. For Heshbon was the city 26 of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon. Wherefore they who 27 speak in proverbs say,

Come into Heshbon,

Let the city of Sihon be built and prepared;

For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon,
A flame from the city of Sihon:
It hath consumed Ar of Moab,
And the lords of the high places of Arnon.
Woe to thee, Moab !

Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: He hath suffered his sons to become fugitives,

And his daughters to go into captivity
Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
Their light is extinguished;
Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,
And we have laid them waste even unto
Nophah,

Which reacheth unto Medeba.

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Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the 31 Amorites. And Moses sent to spy out Jaa- 32 zer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites who were there.

And they turned and went up by the 33 way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei. And the 34 LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. So 35 they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there were none left him alive and they possessed his land.

AND the children of Israel set forward, 22 and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side the Jordan by Jericho.

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that 2 Israel had done to the Amorites. And 3 Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was perplexed because of the children of Israel. And 4