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Book of Numbers, Chapter 16

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Numbers 16 NWT - New World TranslationNumbers 16 NWT - New World Translation

Chapter 16 of Numbers—New World Translation (NWT)

  1. ¶ And Koʹrah1 the son of Izʹhar,2 the son of Koʹhath,3 the son of Leʹvi,4 proceeded to get up,[a] together with Daʹthan5 and A·biʹram6 the sons of E·liʹab,7 and On the son of Peʹleth, the sons of Reuʹben.8
  2. And they proceeded to rise up before Moses, they and two hundred and fifty men of the sons of Israel, chieftains of the assembly, summoned ones of the meeting, men of fame.[b]
  3. So they congregated themselves against9 Moses and Aaron and said to them: “That is enough of YOU, because the whole assembly are all of them holy10 and Jehovah is in their midst.11 Why, then, should YOU lift yourselves up above the congregation of Jehovah?”12
  4. ¶ When Moses got to hear it he at once fell upon his face.
  5. Then he spoke to Koʹrah and to his entire assembly, saying: “In the morning Jehovah will make known who belongs to him13 and who is holy14 and who must come near to him,15 and whoever he may choose16 will come near to him.
  6. Do this: Take fire holders17 for yourselves, Koʹrah and his entire assembly,18
  7. and put fire in them and place incense upon them before Jehovah tomorrow, and it must occur that the man whom Jehovah will choose,19 he is the holy one. That is enough of YOU, YOU sons of Leʹvi!”20
  8. ¶ And Moses went on to say to Koʹrah: “Listen, please, YOU sons of Leʹvi.
  9. Is it such a little thing for YOU men that the God of Israel has separated21 YOU men from the assembly of Israel to present YOU to himself to carry on the service of Jehovah’s tabernacle and to stand before the assembly to minister to them,22
  10. and that he should bring you and all your brothers the sons of Leʹvi with you near? So must YOU men also try to secure the priesthood?23
  11. For that reason you and all your assembly who are gathering together are against Jehovah.24 As for Aaron, what is he that YOU men should murmur against him?”25
  12. ¶ Later Moses sent to call Daʹthan and A·biʹram26 the sons of E·liʹab, but they said: “We are not going to come up!27
  13. Is it so little a thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to put us to death in the wilderness,28 that you should also try to play the prince over us to the limit?29
  14. As it is, you have not brought us into any land flowing with milk and honey,30 that you may give us an inheritance of field and vineyard. Is it the eyes of those men that you want to bore out? We are not going to come up!”
  15. ¶ At this Moses became very angry and said to Jehovah: “Do not turn to look at their grain offering.31 Not one male ass have I taken away from them, nor have I harmed one of them.”32
  16. ¶ Then Moses said to Koʹrah:33 “You and all your assembly, be present before Jehovah,34 you and they and Aaron, tomorrow.
  17. And take each one his fire holder, and YOU men must put incense upon them and present each one his fire holder before Jehovah, two hundred and fifty fire holders, and you and Aaron each his fire holder.”
  18. So they took each one his fire holder and put fire upon them and placed incense upon them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting together with Moses and Aaron.
  19. When Koʹrah got all the[c] assembly35 together against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, then Jehovah’s glory appeared to all the assembly.36
  20. ¶ Jehovah now spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
  21. “Separate37 yourselves from the midst of this assembly, that I may exterminate38 them in an instant.”
  22. At this they fell upon their faces and said: “O God,[d] the God[e] of the spirits of every sort of flesh,39 will just one man sin and you become indignant against the entire assembly?”40
  23. ¶ In turn Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying:
  24. “Speak to the assembly, saying, ‘Get away from around the tabernacles[f] of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram!’”41
  25. ¶ After that Moses got up and went to Daʹthan and A·biʹram, and the older men42 of Israel went with him.
  26. Then he spoke to the assembly, saying: “Turn aside, please, from before the tents of these wicked men and do not touch anything that belongs to them,43 that YOU may not be swept away in all their sin.”
  27. Immediately they got away from before the tabernacle of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram, from every side, and Daʹthan and A·biʹram came out, taking their stand at the entrance of their tents,44 together with their wives, and their sons and their little ones.
  28. ¶ Then Moses said: “By this YOU will know that Jehovah has sent me to do all these deeds,45 that it is not of my own heart:46
  29. If it is according to the death of all mankind[g] that these people will die and with the punishment of all mankind that punishment will be brought upon them,47 then it is not Jehovah that has sent me.48
  30. But if it is something created that Jehovah will create,49 and the ground has to open its mouth and swallow up them50 and everything that belongs to them and they have to go down alive into Sheʹol,[h]51 YOU will then know for certain that these men have treated Jehovah disrespectfully.”52
  31. ¶ And it came about that as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them began to be split apart.53
  32. And the earth proceeded to open its mouth and to swallow up them and their households and all humankind that belonged to Koʹrah and all the goods.[i]54
  33. So down they went, and all who belonged to them, alive into Sheʹol, and the earth went covering them over,55 so that they perished from the midst of the congregation.56
  34. And all the Israelites who were round about them fled at the screaming[j] of them, for they began to say: “We are afraid that the earth may swallow us up!”57
  35. And a fire came out from Jehovah58 and proceeded to consume the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense.[k]59
  36. ¶ Jehovah now spoke to Moses, saying:
  37. “Say to El·e·aʹzar the son of Aaron the priest that he should take up the fire holders60 from within the conflagration, ‘And you scatter the fire over there; for they are holy,
  38. even the fire holders of these men who sinned against their own souls.61 And they must make them into thin metal plates as an overlaying for the altar,62 because they presented them before Jehovah, so that they became holy; and they should serve as a sign to the sons of Israel.’”63
  39. Accordingly El·e·aʹzar the priest took the copper fire holders,64 which those who had been burned up had presented, and they proceeded to beat them out into an overlaying for the altar,
  40. as a memorial for the sons of Israel, to the end that no strange65 man who is not of the offspring of Aaron should come near to make incense smoke before Jehovah,66 and no one might become like Koʹrah and his assembly,67 just as Jehovah had spoken to him by means of Moses.
  41. ¶ And directly the next day the whole assembly of the sons of Israel began to murmur against Moses and Aaron,68 saying: “YOU men, YOU have put Jehovah’s people to death.”
  42. And it came about that when the assembly had congregated themselves together against Moses and Aaron, they then turned toward the tent of meeting; and, look! the cloud covered it, and Jehovah’s glory began to appear.69
  43. ¶ And Moses and Aaron proceeded to come before the tent of meeting.70
  44. Then Jehovah spoke to Moses,[l] saying:
  45. “YOU men, rise up from the midst of this assembly, that I may exterminate them in an instant.”71 At this they fell upon their faces.72
  46. After that Moses said to Aaron: “Take the fire holder and put fire from upon the altar in it73 and put on incense and go to the assembly in a hurry and make atonement for them,74 because the indignation has gone out from the face of Jehovah.75 The plague has started!”
  47. Aaron at once took it, just as Moses had spoken, and went running into the midst of the congregation; and, look! the plague had started among the people. So he put the incense on and began making atonement for the people.
  48. And he kept standing between the dead and the living.76 Eventually the scourge was stopped.77
  49. And those dead from the scourge amounted to fourteen thousand seven hundred, aside from those dead on account of Koʹrah.
  50. When at last Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the scourge had been stopped.

FOOTNOTES

  1. ^ “Proceeded to get up” and “proceeded to congregate” are proposed readings. Lit., “proceeded to take,” M; LXX, “spoke.”
  2. ^ Lit., “name.”
  3. ^ “The,” MSamSy; LXX, “his.”
  4. ^ “O God.” Heb., ʼEl; Gr., The·osʹ.
  5. ^ “The God of.” Heb., ʼElo·hehʹ, pl.; Gr., The·osʹ; Lat., Deʹus.
  6. ^ “Tabernacles,” Vg; MSamSy, “tabernacle.”
  7. ^ Or, “the earthlings; humankind.” Heb., ha·ʼa·dhamʹ.
  8. ^ “Into Sheol.” Heb., sheʼoʹlah; Gr., haiʹdou; Lat., in·ferʹnum.
  9. ^ Or, “the property.” SyVgc, “their property”; LXX, “their livestock.”
  10. ^ Lit., “voice.”
  11. ^ MLXX end chapter 16 here.
  12. ^ “Moses,” MSamVg; LXXSy, “Moses and Aaron.”

REFERENCES

  1. ^ Nu 26:9; 27:3; Jd 11
  2. ^ Ex 6:21; Nu 3:19
  3. ^ Ex 6:18
  4. ^ Ex 6:16; Nu 3:17
  5. ^ Nu 26:9
  6. ^ De 11:6
  7. ^ Nu 26:8
  8. ^ Ge 46:8; 1Ch 5:1
  9. ^ Nu 12:1; 14:2; 1Sa 15:23; Ps 106:16
  10. ^ Ex 19:6
  11. ^ Ex 29:45; Nu 14:14
  12. ^ Nu 12:2
  13. ^ 2Ti 2:19
  14. ^ Le 21:6
  15. ^ Ex 28:43; Le 10:3
  16. ^ Ex 28:1; Nu 17:5; 1Sa 2:28; Ps 105:26
  17. ^ Le 10:1; Nu 16:38
  18. ^ Nu 16:2
  19. ^ Nu 3:10
  20. ^ Nu 16:1
  21. ^ Nu 3:9, 41
  22. ^ Nu 1:53; 3:6; 4:4; De 10:8
  23. ^ Pr 13:10; Pp 2:3
  24. ^ Lu 10:16
  25. ^ Ex 16:8; Ps 106:16
  26. ^ Nu 16:1
  27. ^ 1Sa 15:23; Jd 8
  28. ^ Ex 16:3; Nu 14:29
  29. ^ Ex 22:28; Ac 7:35
  30. ^ Ex 3:8; Le 20:24
  31. ^ Ge 4:5
  32. ^ 1Sa 12:3; Ac 20:33; 2Co 7:2; 1Pe 3:16
  33. ^ Nu 16:6
  34. ^ 1Sa 12:7
  35. ^ Nu 16:2, 40
  36. ^ Nu 12:5; 14:10
  37. ^ Ge 19:15; Re 18:4
  38. ^ Nu 3:10, 38; 16:45; Ps 73:19
  39. ^ Nu 27:16; Jb 12:10; Ec 3:19; 12:7; Zc 12:1
  40. ^ Ge 18:23; 2Sa 24:17
  41. ^ Nu 16:1
  42. ^ Nu 11:16
  43. ^ Ex 23:2
  44. ^ Jb 9:4; Pr 16:18; 18:12
  45. ^ Ex 3:12; De 18:22; Jn 5:36
  46. ^ Ex 7:2; 25:22; De 18:18; Jn 5:30
  47. ^ Ec 3:19; 9:5; Eze 18:4; Ro 5:12
  48. ^ De 18:21
  49. ^ Is 45:7
  50. ^ Jb 31:3
  51. ^ Ps 55:15; Pr 1:12
  52. ^ Ps 74:18; 107:11
  53. ^ Nu 26:10; De 11:6; Ps 106:17
  54. ^ Nu 26:11; 1Ch 6:31, 37
  55. ^ Ps 55:23
  56. ^ Jd 11
  57. ^ Nu 17:13
  58. ^ Le 10:2; Nu 11:1
  59. ^ Nu 16:17; 26:10; Ps 106:18
  60. ^ Nu 16:6
  61. ^ 1Ki 2:23; Pr 8:36
  62. ^ Ex 38:1
  63. ^ Nu 16:5; 17:10; 26:10; 1Ti 5:20
  64. ^ Nu 16:6
  65. ^ Nu 3:10; 18:7; 2Ch 26:18
  66. ^ 2Ch 26:16
  67. ^ Ps 106:17; Jd 11
  68. ^ Nu 14:2; Ps 106:13; 2Pe 2:10
  69. ^ Ex 16:7; Nu 14:10; 16:19
  70. ^ Nu 20:6
  71. ^ Ex 23:21; Nu 16:21; 1Co 10:10
  72. ^ Nu 16:22
  73. ^ Le 6:12
  74. ^ Ex 34:9; Nu 8:19
  75. ^ Le 10:6; Nu 1:53; 18:5; 1Ch 27:24
  76. ^ 2Sa 24:16
  77. ^ Ex 23:21; Nu 25:8

Read Numbers Chapter 16 in other Bible versions:

Comments

  1. Kiamia DoelKiamia Doel
    Jan 9, 2025 23:00 GMT

    The NWT adds words to the text that are not in the greek Manuscripts to fit it's own doctrinal position for example

    Compare the wording of the NWT and the NKJV at Colossians 1:15-17

    NKJV says

    15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

    NWT says

    15 He is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn OF all creation;16 because by means of him all OTHER things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible,whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All OTHER things have been created through him and for him. 17 Also, he is before all OTHER things,and by means of him all OTHER things were made to exist,

    The word “other” is not in the Greek but they add it Why? So they can decieve their followers into thinking that Christ was created by the Father and that he then created other things, that is not what the Greek says.

    1. SmeSme
      Feb 27, 2025 11:17 GMT

      Truth is from God and those that follow him. As for lies? John8:44

      Kiamia, I noticed you used a modern version of kjv to make your point about the nwt.

      Why didn’t you use the original kjv of col1:15?

      Is it because it disproves your point? It proves the opposite of what you wrote?

      Here is kjv col1:15 ¶” Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn OF every creature:“

      Now I appeal to your Christian nature to correct your mistake as God is watching each of us, and let us bless the God of Jesus his father.

      Kjv 1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ….

  2. YanekYanek
    Dec 24, 2024 22:18 GMT

    Joshua, Jehovah’s Witnesses have never denied the deity of the Messiah in his prehuman existence. While on Earth he was fully 100% human. I do not mean he was a mere human, he was not affected by Adam’s unfaithful behavior, he was sinless.

  3. David yakubuDavid yakubu
    Oct 29, 2022 08:05 GMT

    When i do read some comments and seeing that its the same people that are supposed to be called believers but are talking ill of other denominations, it hurts. Let us all remember that We should judge not

    1. jonas smithjonas smith
      Apr 23, 2023 02:57 GMT

      The bible tells us to test the spirits. Satan disguises himself as angel of light. So yes some denomination are not teaching the truth. You are responsible for judging which ones are not. You have to judge the truth at all times. this is what the bible teaches

  4. THTH
    Apr 7, 2021 00:20 GMT

    The NWT is a very good translation. Dr. Jason David BeDuhn PhD attests to that in his book Truth in Translation. drive.google.com/...5p16melHzg8/view

    1. James LernerJames Lerner
      Jul 20, 2024 09:48 GMT

      The NWT is Satanic filth to its very core.

      The JW Cult is Satanic to its very core.

      Praise Yahweh I will never be a victim of JW brainwashing. If I burn in Hell for eternity or I am ultimately annihilated so be it

      May Yahweh's curse rest on the Watchtower Society and its Satanic leadership

    2. jim mcleodjim mcleod
      Aug 22, 2021 06:16 GMT

      NWT is a false translation that takes away from the deity of Jesus !

  5. SlightlyChaoticSlightlyChaotic
    Jan 30, 2021 16:33 GMT

    Thank you for taking the time to provide this service. I like seeing the NASB on your web page in the same format as I read on paper. On other sites, the text area is smaller, and so I have to keep scrolling down to read and sometimes I lose the context. So I really appreciate the format.

    As far as the NWT, you are certainly free to do whatever you think best with your own web pages. I'd suggest that you make a note anytime you have a translation that is associated with only one denomination or church, for example:
    New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness version).

    In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. the main idea seems to be that you can't easily distinguish between God's people and not-God's people on this earth, so our Lord's response is to wait until they are shown to be the kind of people they are inside. But the NWT seems like false teaching to me. So I think the warning passages from Jesus' apostles are more applicable, as in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he talks about Paul's writings:
    "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures."
    And we also have the positive exhortations, as in 2 Timothy 2:15:
    "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

    1. BroderickBroderick
      Jan 31, 2021 00:57 GMT

      Your suggestion regarding the denominational flagging is duly noted. But I can’t help but wonder, wouldn’t a Catholic also want “Protestant versions” marked as well?

      As for the parable, I’m pretty sure the slaves were convinced in their own minds that they could tell the tares from the wheat. After all, aren’t they the ones who identified the problem in the first place? But the master obviously thought otherwise.

      Furthermore, even at the time when Jesus himself was walking the earth, not everybody who claimed fellowship actually followed him causing John to inquire at Mark 9:39, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him . . . for he who is not against us is for us.”

  6. Joshua HarderJoshua Harder
    Dec 11, 2020 17:48 GMT

    Hello, question.. why have you included the NWT with other legitimate bible translations? Or why have you not atleast included a warning to readers? Don't you fear that someone could be influenced by the Watchtower's intentional heresies? Thank you.

    1. KevinKevin
      Jul 11, 2021 17:45 GMT

      en.m.wikipedia.org/..._Holy_Scriptures

      See the section critical review

    2. ChrisChris
      Jan 8, 2021 07:15 GMT

      Please site these intentional heresies. I am well versed in the watch tower outline and agree they are in many ways incorrect but i also bet i can point many out from EVERY established or main denomination. There is much to learn from them all as one who drinks milk?

      Judge not lest ye be judged, that is not to pass judgement on you either brother.

      I debate with scripture. I don't hold it to be true that Michael is Y'Shua HaMeshiach but I also firmly hold it to be true that our G-d and Heavenly Father are not the word encarnate and only begotten son.

      I love not seeing "lord" which i relate to baal. I feel the catholic church is a satanic establishment and I am aware a freemason started the hovies but there are evil in high places and our fight is also with principalities.

      What i'm saying is that in my darkest hours, those two were some of if not the only ones who would bring a Bible and eucharist and pray with me.

      We all fall short of the glory of G-d.

      Don't forget the NWT was recognized as the most accurate translation on Jeopardy.

      Lastly, this is different I noted than the NWT i have read and am very familiar with. Pull up the watchtower page and compare. I truly look forward to getting this one!

  7. julietjuliet
    Aug 17, 2022 09:36 GMT

    the sky is blue

  8. mercymercy
    Aug 12, 2022 21:23 GMT

    i am Mercy, the sky is blue what else do you need

    1. mercymercy
      Aug 12, 2022 21:25 GMT

      i am so sorry, it was a big mistake

  9. God is able to do all thingsGod is able to do all things
    May 17, 2021 17:59 GMT

    Jesus how much love calling yo name

  10. EmpiralEmpiral
    Jul 4, 2025 19:06 GMT

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