Chapter 17
1 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
2 'Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he
take up the fire-pans out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for
they are become holy;
3 even the fire-pans of these men who have sinned at the cost
of their lives, and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the
altar--for they are become holy, because they were offered before HaShem--that
they may be a sign unto the children of Israel.'
4 And Eleazar the priest took the brazen fire-pans, which
they that were burnt had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the
altar,
5 to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end
that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense
before HaShem; that he fare not as Korah, and as his company; as HaShem spoke
unto him by the hand of Moses.
6 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of
Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying: 'Ye have killed the
people of HaShem.'
7 And it came to pass, when the congregation was assembled
against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tent of meeting;
and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of HaShem appeared.
8 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of
meeting.
9 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
10 'Get you up from among this congregation, that I may
consume them in a moment.' And they fell upon their faces.
11 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take thy fire-pan, and put
fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly
unto the congregation, and make atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out
from HaShem: the plague is begun.'
12 And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of
the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on
the incense, and made atonement for the people.
13 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the
plague was stayed.
14 Now they that died by the plague were fourteen thousand
and seven hundred, besides them that died about the matter of Korah.
15 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tent of
meeting, and the plague was stayed.
16 And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:
17 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of them rods,
one for each fathers' house, of all their princes according to their fathers'
houses, twelve rods; thou shalt write every man's name upon his rod.
18 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi,
for there shall be one rod for the head of their fathers' houses.
19 And thou shalt lay them up in the tent of meeting before
the testimony, where I meet with you.
20 And it shall come to pass, that the man whom I shall
choose, his rod shall bud; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of
the children of Israel, which they murmur against you.'
21 And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel; and all their
princes gave him rods, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses,
even twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
22 And Moses laid up the rods before HaShem in the tent of
the testimony.
23 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into
the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi
was budded, and put forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.
24 And Moses brought out all the rods from before HaShem unto
all the children of Israel; and they looked, and took every man his rod.
25 And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Put back the rod of Aaron
before the testimony, to be kept there, for a token against the rebellious
children; that there may be made an end of their murmurings against Me, that
they die not.'
26 Thus did Moses; as HaShem commanded him, so did he.
27 And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying:
'Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone.
28 Every one that cometh near, that cometh near unto the
tabernacle of HaShem, is to die; shall we wholly perish?'
Sources: Portions copyright © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant, All Rights Reserved
JPS Electronic Edition, based on the 1917 JPS translation, Copyright © 1998 by Larry Nelson, All Rights Reserved
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