Korah, Dathan, and Abiram Lead a Rebellion
1-2 Korah son of Izhar was a Levite from the Kohathite clan. One day he called together Dathan, Abiram, and On from the Reuben tribe, and the four of them decided to rebel against Moses. So they asked 250 respected Israelite leaders for their support, and together they went to Moses 3 and Aaron and said, “Why do you think you're so much better than everyone else? We're part of the Lord's holy people, and he's with all of us. What makes you think you're the only ones in charge?”
4 When Moses heard this, he knelt down to pray. 5 Then he said to Korah and his followers:
Tomorrow morning the Lord will show us the person he has chosen to be his priest, and that man will faithfully serve him.
6-7 Korah, here is what you and your followers must do: Get some fire pans, fill them with coals and incense, and place them near the sacred tent. And the man the Lord chooses will be his priest. Korah, this time you Levites have gone too far!
8-9 You know that the God of Israel has chosen you Levites from all Israel to serve him by being in charge of the sacred tent and by helping the community to worship in the proper way. What more do you want? 10 The Lord has given you a special responsibility, and now, Korah, you think you should also be his priest. 11 You and your followers have rebelled against the Lord, not against Aaron.
12 Then Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they sent back this message: “We won't come! 13 It's bad enough that you took us from our rich farmland in Egypt to let us die here in the desert. Now you also want to boss us around! 14 You keep promising us rich farmlands with fertile fields and vineyards—but where are they? Stop trying to trick these people. No, we won't come to see you.”
15 Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Don't listen to these men! I haven't done anything wrong to them. I haven't taken as much as a donkey.”
16 Then he said to Korah, “Tomorrow you and your followers must go with Aaron to the Lord's sacred tent. 17 Each of you take along your fire pan with incense in it and offer the incense to the Lord.”
18 The next day the men placed incense and coals in their fire pans and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the sacred tent. 19 Meanwhile, Korah had convinced the rest of the Israelites to rebel against their two leaders.
When that happened, the Lord appeared in all his glory 20 and said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Get away from the rest of the Israelites so I can kill them at once!”
22 But the two men bowed down and prayed, “Our God, you gave these people life. Why would you punish everyone here when only one man has sinned?”
23 The Lord answered Moses, 24 “Tell the people to stay away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 Moses walked over to Dathan and Abiram, and the other leaders of Israel followed. 26 Then Moses warned the people, “Get away from the tents of these sinful men! Don't touch anything that belongs to them or you'll be wiped out.” 27 So everyone moved away from those tents, except Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their families.
28 Moses said to the crowd, “The Lord has chosen me and told me to do these things—it wasn't my idea. And here's how you will know: 29 If these men die a natural death, it means the Lord hasn't chosen me. 30 But suppose the Lord does something that has never been done before. For example, what if a huge crack appears in the ground, and these men and their families fall into it and are buried alive, together with everything they own? Then you will know they have turned their backs on the Lord!”
31 As soon as Moses said this, the ground under the men opened up 32-33 and swallowed them alive, together with their families and everything they owned. Then the ground closed back up, and they were gone.
34 The rest of the Israelites heard their screams, so they ran off, shouting, “We don't want that to happen to us!”
35 Suddenly the Lord sent a fire that burned up the 250 men who had offered incense to him.
36 Then the Lord said to Moses, 37 “Tell Aaron's son Eleazar to take the fire pans from the smoldering fire and scatter the coals. The pans are now sacred, 38 because they were used for offering incense to me. Have them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar. Those men died because of their sin, and now their fire pans will become a warning for the rest of the community.”
39 Eleazar collected the pans and had them hammered into a thin layer of bronze as a covering for the altar, 40 just as the Lord had told Moses. The pans were a warning to the Israelites that only Aaron's descendants would be allowed to offer incense to the Lord. Anyone else who tried to would be punished like Korah and his followers.
The Israelites Rebel and Are Punished
41 The next day the people of Israel again complained against Moses and Aaron, “The two of you killed some of the Lord's people!”
42 As the people crowded around them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the sacred tent, and the Lord appeared in his glory in the cloud covering the tent. 43 So Moses and Aaron walked to the front of the tent, 44 where the Lord said to them, 45 “Stand back! I am going to wipe out these Israelites once and for all.”
They immediately bowed down and prayed. 46 Then Moses told Aaron, “Grab your fire pan and fill it with hot coals from the altar. Put incense in it, then quickly take it to where the people are and offer it to the Lord, so they can be forgiven. The Lord is very angry, and people have already started dying!”
47-48 Aaron did exactly what he had been told. He ran over to the crowd of people and stood between the dead bodies and the people who were still alive. He placed the incense on the pan, then offered it to the Lord and asked him to forgive the people's sin. The disease immediately stopped spreading, and no one else died from it. 49 But 14,700 Israelites were dead, not counting those who had died with Korah and his followers.
50 Aaron walked back and stood with Moses at the sacred tent.
Oshipotha shaKora, Datan na Abiram
1-2 Kora kaIzhar, omutekulu gwaKohat yaLevi, yo pamwe naDatan naAbiram, aana yaEliab, naOn yaPelet yaReuben oya tsile Moses ondumbo pamwe naalumentu 250 yomAaisraeli, aawiliki ya simana ya hogololwa kegongalo. 3 Oya gongalele Moses naAaron e taa ti kuyo: “Omwa pitilila unene! Iilyo ayihe yegongalo oyOmuwa, nOmuwa oku li pamwe natse atuhe. Omolwashike ano ngoye, Moses, to inenepekele kombanda yegongalo lyOmuwa?”
4 Moses sho e shi uvu, okwi ihata pevi e ta galikana. 5 Opo ihe okwa ti kuKora naalanduli ye: “Ongula yanakwasha Omuwa ota ka ulika, olye ngoka gwe. Ngoka gwe, kokutya ngoka e mu hogolola, ote mu pitika a hedhe koshiyambelo. 6-7 Ongula yanakwasha, ngoye Kora naalanduli yoye, kutheni iikangwa yomulilo, tulii mo omakala ga hanya niitsinino ne mu yi fale koshiyambelo. Opo mpoka tatu ka mona, olye gwomutse a hogololwa kOmuwa. Aalevi ne, omakamba geni oga vuka unene!”
8 Moses okwa lombwele natango Kora a ti: “Aalevi ne, pulakeneni! 9 Inashi mu gwanena nani, Kalunga kaIsrael sho e mu yoolola megongalo lyaIsrael mu hedhe kuye metsalihangano, opo mu thikame montaneho yegongalo noku li yakula? 10 Okwe mu pe esimano ndika pamwe nAalevi ooyakweni, ihe ngashingeyi omwa hala ishewe noshilonga shuuyambi. 11 Sho tamu tsu ondumbo naAaron, otashi ti otamu kondjitha Omuwa.”
12 Moses okwa tumu elaka i ithana Datan naAbiram, ihe oya ti: “Itatu ya ko! 13 Inashi gwana nani, sho we tu tembudha mevi lya tondoka omahini nomagadhi goonyushi, opo u tu dhipagele mombuga? Ngashingeyi owa hala u tu pangele? 14 Ou shi owe tu eta kevi ndyoka lya tondoka omahini nomagadhi goonyushi nowe tu pe omapya niitsambe yomiviinu? Ou shi oto vulu u tu kotokele? Itatu ya ko!”
15 Moses okwa geye nokwa lombwele Omuwa a ti: “Ino taamba omayambo gaalumentu mbaka taye ga yamba. Ngame inandi ya ninga nayi. Ine kutha nando ogumwe nando oko okasino.”
16 Moses okwa ti kuKora: “Ongula yanakwasha ngoye naalanduli yoye ayehe omu na okuholoka ketsalihangano. Aaron oko ta ka kala wo. 17 Shaa ngoka gwomune ota kutha oshikangwa she shomulilo a tula mo iitsinino note yi yamba koshiyambelo.” 18 Omulumentu kehe okwa kutha ihe oshikangwa she a tula mo omakala ga hanya niitsinino nokwa thikama posheelo shetsalihangano pamwe naMoses naAaron. 19 Kora okwa gongaleke egongalo alihe, nolya thikama lya taalela Moses naAaron posheelo shetsalihangano. Ohaluka eadhimo lyOmuwa olya adhimine egongalo alihe, 20 Omuwa nokwa lombwele Moses naAaron ta ti: 21 “Zii po utale paantu mbano, notandi ya kombo po mbalambala.”
22 Ihe Moses naAaron oya tsu iipala yawo pevi e taa ti: “Akutu, Kalunga, Kalunga, ongoye othithiya yomwenyo aguhe. Ndishi omuntu gumwe awike a yono noto geele egongalo alihe?”
23 Omuwa okwa ti kuMoses: 24 “Lombwela aantu ya ze po pomatsali gaKora, Datan naAbiram.”
25 Moses okwa yi kuDatan naAbiram a thindikilwa kaawiliki yAaisraeli. 26 Okwa lombwele aantu a ti: “Thikameni kokule nomatsali gaantu mbaka aadhudhu, ne inamu guma iinima yawo ayihe, opo mwaa kombwe po pamwe nayo moluulunde wawo.” 27 Aantu noya zi po pomatsali gaKora, Datan naAbiram.
Datan naAbiram oya piti mo ya thikama piiyelo yomatsali gawo, ye li pamwe naakulukadhi yawo noyana. 28 Moses okwe ya lombwele a ti: “Nena otamu ke shi tseya kutya Omuwa okwa tumu ndje ndi longe iilonga mbika noitandi yi longo pahalo lyandje mwene. 29 Aantu mbaka ngele otaa si, ngaashi aantu ayehe haa si pwaa na egeelo lyaKalunga, nena Omuwa ina tuma ndje. 30 Ihe ngele Omuwa ota ningi sha inaashi uvika nale, nevi otali makula okana kalyo noku ya huta po niinima yawo ayihe, e taa kulukile muusi ye na omwenyo, otamu ka tseya kutya aantu mbaka oya sheke Omuwa.”
31 Mbalambala Moses manga inaa mana okupopya, evi olye ekama mpoka ya li 32 nolya nina po Datan naAbiram, omatsali gawo, aalanduli yaKora ayehe nomaliko gawo agehe. 33 Oya kulukile muusi ye na omwenyo, pamwe nomaliko gawo. Evi olye ya siikile noya ningine mo. 34 Aaisraeli ayehe mboka ya li ko, oya yi ontuku, sho yu uvu onkugo yawo. Oyi igidha ya ti: “Tu fadhukii po! Evi otali ningi li tu nine po wo!”
35 Omuwa okwa tumu omulilo gwa hwama, nogwa lungunitha po aalumentu 250 mboka ya li ye na iitsinino.
Iikangwa yomulilo
36 Omuwa okwa lombwele Moses a ti: 37 “Lombwela omuyambi Eleasar lyaAaron a kuthe mo iikangwa yomulilo momutoko noku halakanithe omakala muyo shaa mpoka, oshoka iikangwa yomulilo oyo iiyapuki. 38 Oya yapulwa, sho ya tulwa poshiyambelo shOmuwa. Ano kuthii po iikangwa yomulilo yaalumentu mboka ya dhipagwa moluulunde wawo, yi hambulii po iisha ya pepuka e tamu yi siikilitha oshiyambelo. Otayi ka londodha Aaisraeli.” 39 Omuyambi Eleasar okwa kutha iikangwa yomulilo e te yi hambulitha iisha ya pepuka yi siikile oshiyambelo. 40 Ndika olya li elondodho kAaisraeli kutya hamuntu gulwe kee shi oluvalo lwaAaron ta hedha koshiyambelo, opo a fikile Omuwa iitsinino. Ota ningi a yonwe po ngaashi Kora naantu ye. Ayihe mbika oya ningwa, ngaashi Omuwa a popitha Moses e shi lombwele Eleasar.
Aaron ta hupitha aantu
41 Esiku lyanofu egongalo alihe olya tamaneke Moses naAaron lya ti: “Ne omwa dhipaga aantu yOmuwa.” 42 Ayehe sho ya gongala ya tamaneke Moses naAaron, oya pilamene etsalihangano noya mono lya siikilwa koshikogo, neadhimo lyOmuwa olya monika. 43 Moses naAaron oya yi noya thikama komeho getsalihangano. 44 NOmuwa okwa lombwele Moses a ti: 45 “Zii po paantu mbaka, notandi ya kombo po mbala!”
Ayehe yaali oya tsu iipala yawo mevi, 46 naMoses okwa lombwele Aaron a ti: “Kutha oshikangwa shoye shomulilo, tula mo omakala ga hanya gokoshiyambelo e to tula mo iitsinino momakala. Endelela u ye mokati kaantu, opo u ya gwanithile eyelithoyapulo. Endelela! Ondjahi yOmuwa oya hwama nokuli, nelega olya tameka.” 47 Aaron okwa ningi, ngaashi Moses e mu lombwele. Okwa yi, a kutha oshikangwa e ta matukile mokati kaantu. Sho a mono oshiponga sha tameka nale nokuli, okwa tula iitsinino momakala e ta ningi eyelithoyapulo. 48 Elega olya kodha, nokwa li a thikama pokati kaanamwenyo noonakusa. 49 Omwaalu gwaantu mboka ya si, ogwa li 14 700, moka inaamu yalulilwa mboka ya sile moshipotha shaKora. 50 Elega sho lya kodha, Aaron okwa galukile kuMoses posheelo shetsalihangano.
