Kora, Datani ndi Abiramu Awukira Mose
1Kora mwana wa Izihari, mwana wa Kohati, mwana wa Levi ndi Datani ndi Abiramu ana a Eliabu, pamodzi ndi Oni mwana wa Perezi, ana a Rubeni, anayamba kudzikuza, 2ndipo anawukira Mose. Mʼgulu mwawo munali atsogoleri a Aisraeli 250, anthu otchuka amene anasankhidwa ndi anthu pa msonkhano. 3Iwo anasonkhana kudzatsutsana ndi Mose ndi Aaroni nawawuza kuti, “Mwawonjeza! Anthu onsewa ndi oyera, aliyense wa iwo, ndipo Yehova ali pakati pawo. Chifukwa chiyani mukudzikuza pakati pa gulu lonse la Yehova?”
4Mose atamva izi, anagwa chafufumimba. 5Ndipo iye anawuza Kora ndi anthu onse amene ankamutsatira kuti, “Yehova mawa mmawa adzasonyeza yemwe ndi wake ndiponso amene ndi woyera mtima. Munthuyo adzabwera pafupi ndi Iye. Munthu amene adzamusankheyo adzamusendeza pafupi. 6Iwe Kora pamodzi ndi onse amene akukutsatira chitani izi: Tengani zofukizira 7ndipo mawa muyikemo moto ndi lubani pamaso pa Yehova. Munthu amene Yehova amusankhe ndiye amene ali woyera. Alevi inu mwawonjeza kwambiri!”
8Mose anawuzanso Kora kuti, “Inu Alevi, tsopano tamverani! 9Kodi sizinakukwanireni kuti Mulungu wa Israeli anakupatulani pakati pa gulu lonse la Aisraeli ndi kukubweretsani pafupi ndi Iye, kuti muzigwira ntchito ku nyumba ya Yehova ndi kumayima pamaso pa gulu, kumatumikira? 10Wakubweretsa iwe pamodzi ndi Alevi anzako kufupi ndi Iye mwini. Koma tsopano ukufuna kutenganso unsembe. 11Nʼkulakwira Yehova kuti iwe ndi gulu lako lonseli mwasonkhana kuti mutsutsane ndi Yehova. Kodi Aaroni ndani kuti muzikangana naye?”
12Kenaka Mose anayitana Datani ndi Abiramu, ana aamuna a Eliabu koma iwo anati, “Sitibwera! 13Kodi sikukwanira kuti unatitulutsa, kutichotsa mʼdziko loyenda mkaka ndi uchi kuti udzatiphe mʼchipululu muno? Kodi tsopano ukufunanso kutilemetsa? 14Kuwonjezera apo, sunatilowetse mʼdziko loyenda mkaka ndi uchi kapena kutipatsa malo wolima ndi minda ya mpesa. Kodi ukufuna kuchotsa maso a anthuwa? Ayi, sitibwera!”
15Pamenepo Mose anakwiya kwambiri ndipo anati kwa Yehova, “Musalandire chopereka chawo. Sindinatenge kalikonse kwa iwo ngakhale bulu, ndiponso sindinalakwire wina aliyense wa iwo.”
16Mose anati kwa Kora, “Iwe ndi okutsatira onse mudzaonekere pamaso pa Yehova mawa, iweyo ndi iwowo pamodzi ndi Aaroni. 17Munthu aliyense akatenge chofukizira ndi kuyikamo lubani, zofukizira 250 zonse pamodzi ndi kuzibweretsa pamaso pa Yehova. Iwe ndi Aaroni mudzabweretsenso zofukizira zanu.” 18Choncho munthu aliyense anatenga chofukizira chake nayikamo moto ndi lubani, ndipo anayima pamodzi ndi Mose ndi Aaroni pa khomo la tenti ya msonkhano. 19Kora atasonkhanitsa omutsatira ake onse amene amatsutsa nawo pa khomo la tenti ya msonkhano, ulemerero wa Yehova unaonekera kwa gulu lonselo. 20Yehova anawuza Mose ndi Aaroni kuti, 21“Chokani pakati pa gulu ili kuti ndithetse mkanganowu kamodzinʼkamodzi.”
22Koma Mose ndi Aaroni anadzigwetsa chafufumimba ndipo analira mokweza, “Chonde Mulungu, Mulungu wa mizimu ya anthu onse, kodi mudzakwiyira gulu lonse pamene munthu mmodzi yekha ndiye amene wachimwa?”
23Pamenepo Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, 24“Uza gulu lonse kuti, ‘Khalani kutali ndi matenti a Kora, Datani ndi Abiramu.’ ”
25Mose anayimirira napita kwa Datani, Abiramu ndi kwa akuluakulu a Israeli amene ankamutsatira. 26Anachenjeza gulu lonse kuti, “Khalani kutali ndi matenti a anthu oyipawa! Musakhudze kanthu kawo kalikonse, mukatero mudzawonongedwa limodzi nawo chifukwa cha machimo awo.” 27Choncho anthuwo anachokadi ku matenti a Kora, Datani ndi Abiramu. Datani ndi Abiramu anali atatuluka nayima pamodzi ndi akazi awo, ana awo ndi makanda awo pa makomo a matenti awo.
28Tsono Mose anati, “Umu ndi mmene mudzadziwire kuti Yehova ndiye amene anandituma kuti ndichite zinthu zonsezi ndipo kuti si maganizo anga. 29Ngati anthu awa afa ndi imfa ya chilengedwe ndi kuwachitikira zomwe zimachitikira munthu aliyense, ndiye kuti Yehova sananditume. 30Koma Yehova akachita china chake chachilendo, nthaka nitsekula pakamwa pake ndi kuwameza iwo pamodzi ndi zonse zimene ali nazo, iwowa nʼkulowa mʼmanda ali moyo, pamenepo mudzazindikira kuti anthu amenewa ananyoza Yehova.”
31Atangotsiriza kuyankhula zimenezi, nthaka ya pamene anayimapo inagawikana 32ndipo dziko linatsekula pakamwa pake ndi kuwameza pamodzi ndi nyumba zawo ndi anthu onse a Kora ndi katundu wawo yense. 33Analowa mʼmanda amoyo pamodzi ndi zonse zimene anali nazo. Nthaka inawatsekera ndi kuwawononga ndipo sanaonekenso. 34Atamva kulira kwawo, Aisraeli onse amene anali pafupi ndi anthuwo anathawa akufuwula kuti, “Nthaka imezanso ife!”
35Ndipo moto wochokera kwa Yehova unabwera nʼkunyeketsa anthu 250 amene ankapereka nsembe yofukiza aja.
36Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, 37“Uza Eliezara mwana wa Aaroni, wansembe kuti atenge zofukizirazo pakati pa mitembo yopsererayo ndipo amwazire makalawo kutali chifukwa zofukizirazo nʼzopatulika. 38Izi ndi zofukizira za anthu omwe anafa chifukwa cha uchimo wawo. Musule zofukizirazo kuti zikhale zophimbira pa guwa lansembe, chifukwa zinaperekedwa kwa Yehova ndipo ndi zopatulika. Zimenezi zikhale chizindikiro kwa Aisraeli.”
39Choncho Eliezara, wansembe, anasonkhanitsa zofukizira zamkuwa zija zomwe anthu opsererawo anabwera nazo ndipo anazisula kuti zikhale zophimbira pa guwa lansembe, 40monga momwe Yehova anamulangizira kudzera mwa Mose. Chimenechi chinali chikumbutso kwa Aisraeli kuti munthu wina aliyense, kupatula zidzukulu za Aaroni, sayenera kupsereza lubani pamaso pa Yehova, kuopa kuti munthu woteroyo angakhale ngati Kora ndi omutsatira ake.
41Tsiku lotsatira, gulu lonse la Aisraeli linatsutsana ndi Mose ndi Aaroni. Iwo anati, “Inu mwapha anthu a Yehova.”
42Koma pamene anthuwo anasonkhana kuti atsutsane ndi Mose ndi Aaroni, atatembenuka kuyangʼana ku tenti ya msonkhano, mwadzidzidzi mtambo unaphimba tentiyo ndipo ulemerero wa Yehova unaonekera. 43Pamenepo Mose ndi Aaroni anapita patsogolo pa tenti ya msonkhano ija 44ndipo Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, 45“Chokani pakati pa gulu la anthuwa kuti ndiwawononge kamodzinʼkamodzi.” Ndipo iwo anagwa pansi chafufumimba.
46Kenaka Mose anawuza Aaroni kuti, “Tenga chofukizira chako ndipo ikamo lubani pamodzi ndi moto wochokera pa guwa lansembe, fulumira, pita pa gulu la anthuwo ndipo ukachite nsembe yopepesera machimo awo popeza mkwiyo wa Yehova wafika, mliri wayamba.” 47Ndipo Aaroni anachita monga ananenera Mose, nathamangira mʼkatikati mwa gulu la anthuwo. Pamenepo nʼkuti mliri utayamba kale pakati pa anthu aja ndipo Aaroni anafukiza lubani ndi kupereka nsembe yopepesera machimo awo. 48Iye anayimirira pakati pa anthu amoyo ndi akufa ndipo mliri unaleka. 49Komabe anthu 14, 700 anafa ndi mliriwo, kuwonjezera pa aja amene anafa chifukwa cha Kora. 50Ndipo Aaroni anabwerera kwa Mose ku khomo la tenti ya msonkhano, chifukwa mliriwo unali utatha.
Korah, Dathan and Abiram
1Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites – Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth – became insolent16:1 Or Peleth – took men 2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?’
4When Moses heard this, he fell face down. 5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: ‘In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will make that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: take censers 7and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!’
8Moses also said to Korah, ‘Now listen, you Levites! 9Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?’
12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, ‘We will not come! 13Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you also want to lord it over us! 14Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you want to treat these men like slaves16:14 Or to deceive these men; Hebrew Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!’
15Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, ‘Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.’
16Moses said to Korah, ‘You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow – you and they and Aaron. 17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it – 250 censers in all – and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.’ 18So each of them took his censer, put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21‘Separate yourselves from this assembly so that I can put an end to them at once.’
22But Moses and Aaron fell face down and cried out, ‘O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?’
23Then the Lord said to Moses, 24‘Say to the assembly, “Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.” ’
25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26He warned the assembly, ‘Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.’ 27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
28Then Moses said, ‘This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29if these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.’
31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. 33They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, ‘The earth is going to swallow us too!’
35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36The Lord said to Moses, 37‘Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy – 38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites.’
39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no-one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ‘You have killed the Lord’s people,’ they said.
42But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned towards the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, 44and the Lord said to Moses, 45‘Get away from this assembly so that I can put an end to them at once.’ And they fell face down.
46Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started.’ 47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.16:50 In Hebrew texts 16:36-50 is numbered 17:1-15.
