Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of your dwellings that I am about to give to you, you will make an offering by fire for Yahweh from the cattle or from the flock, a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering or at your feasts, to make a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. And the one who presents an offering for Yahweh, he will present a grain offering of finely milled flour; a tenth will be mixed with a fourth of the liquid measure of oil; and you will add a fourth of wine for the libation upon the burnt offering, or to the sacrifice for each ram-lamb. Or for the ram you will make a grain offering of two-tenths of finely milled flour mixed into a third of a liquid measure of oil. You will present a third of the liquid measure of wine for the libation, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. When you prepare a bull as a burnt offering or a sacrifice to fulfill a vow or a fellowship offering for Yahweh, you will present with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of finely milled flour mixed with half a liquid measure of oil, and you will present half a liquid measure of wine as a libation, as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

“‘This is how it should be done for each bull, or for the each ram, or for the small four-footed mammal, or ram-lambs, or goats. According to the number that you prepare, so should you do to each according to their number. Every native must do these things to present an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. If an alien dwells among you, or whoever is in your midst throughout your generations, and prepares an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, he should do as you do. For the assembly, there will be one decree for you and for the alien who dwells among you; it is an eternal decree for all your generations. You as well as the alien will be before Yahweh. There will be one law and one stipulation for you and for the alien dwelling among you.'”

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘When you come into the land to which I am about to bring you, whenever you eat from the food of the land, you will lift up a contribution to Yahweh. You must lift up a contribution of the first batch of your ring-shaped dough bread; you must lift it up as a contribution of the threshing floor. You will give to Yahweh a contribution from the first of your dough throughout your generations.

“‘But if you go astray and you do not follow all these commandments that Yahweh commanded to Moses, all that Yahweh commanded you by the hand of Moses from the day that Yahweh commanded and beyond, throughout your generations, and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the community, then the entire community must prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, as a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh, and its grain offering and its libation, according to the stipulation, and one male goat as a sin offering. The priest will make atonement for all of the community of the Israelites, and they will be forgiven because it was unintentional; they will bring their offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh, their sin offering before Yahweh for their unintentional sin. All of the community of the Israelites will be forgiven, as well as the alien that dwells in their midst, because the whole community was involved in the unintentional wrong.

“‘If one person sins unintentionally, that person will present a female goat in its first year as a sin offering. And the priest will make atonement for the person who sinned unintentionally before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven. For the native among the Israelites and the alien that dwells in their midst, there will be one law for anyone who commits an unintentional wrong. But the one who acts presumptuously from among the native or alien blasphemes against Yahweh, and that person must be cut off from the midst of the people. Because he despised the word of Yahweh and broke his command, that person will be surely cut off and bear the guilt.'”

When the Israelites were in the desert, they found a man who was gathering wood on the day of the Sabbath. The ones who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and to all the community. And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Surely the man must be put to death by stoning him; all the community must stone him with stones from outside the camp.” So the entire community brought him out to a place outside the camp, and they stoned him to death just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and tell them to make for themselves tassels on the hems of their garments throughout their generations and to put a blue cord on the tassel of the hem. You will have a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commands of Yahweh and do them, and not follow after the unfaithfulness of your own heart and eyes, so that you will remember and do all my commandments, and you will be holy for your God. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am Yahweh your God.”

Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, the descendants of Reuben, took two hundred and fifty men from the Israelites, leaders of the community summoned from the assembly, renowned men, and they confronted Moses. They were assembled in front of Moses and Aaron, and they said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves! All of the community is holy, every one of them, and Yahweh is in their midst, so why do you raise yourselves over the assembly of Yahweh?”

When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. And he said to Korah and to his entire company, saying, “Tomorrow morning Yahweh will make known who is his and who is holy, and he will bring him near to him, whomever he chooses he will bring near to him. Do this: take for yourselves censers, Korah and all of your company; tomorrow put fire in them and place incense on them before Yahweh; the man whom Yahweh chooses will be the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, sons of Levi!”

And Moses said to Korah, “Please listen, sons of Levi! Is it too little for you that the God of Israel set you apart from the community of Israel to allow you to approach him to do the work of the tabernacle of Yahweh, to stand before the community to serve them? He has allowed you to approach him, you with all your brothers, the descendants of Levi, but yet you also seek the priesthood. Therefore you and your company that has banded together against Yahweh. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

Moses sent to call for Dathan and Abiram son of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come! Is it too little that you have brought us from a land that flows with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, and that you also appoint yourself as a ruler over us? Surely, you have not brought us to a land that flows with milk and honey, and you have not given us the inheritance of fields and a vineyard. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!”

Then Moses became angry, and he said to Yahweh, “Do not notice their grain offering. I have not offered one donkey from them, and I have not mistreated one of them.” And Moses said to Korah, “You and your entire company will be before Yahweh tomorrow, you and they and Aaron. Each one take his censer, and put incense on it and you will present it before Yahweh, and each of you bring his censer, two hundred and fifty censers, you and Aaron, each his censer.” So each of them took his censer, and they put fire on them, and they placed incense on them; they stood at the doorway of the tent of the assembly of Moses and Aaron. And Korah summoned them, the entire community, by the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the glory of Yahweh appeared to all the community.

And Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from the midst of this community, that I can destroy them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces, and they said, “God, God of the spirits of all flesh, will one man sin and you become angry toward the entire community?”

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the community, saying, ‘Move away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'” So Moses stood up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed after him. He said to the community, saying, “Please turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be destroyed with all their sins.” And so they moved away from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out standing at the doorway of their tents, with their wives, sons, and little children. And Moses said, “In this you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these works; it is not from my heart. If they die a natural death or if a natural fate is visited upon them, Yahweh has not sent me. But if Yahweh creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up and all that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, and you will know that these men have despised Yahweh.”

And it happened, as soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open. The land opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their houses and every person that belonged to Korah and all the property. They went down alive to Sheol, they and all that belonged to them, and the land covered over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. All Israel who were around them fled at their cry, because they said, “Lest the land swallow us up!” And fire went out from Yahweh, and it consumed the two hundred and fifty men presenting the incense.

And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ‘Take out the censers from among the place of burning because they are sacred, and scatter the fire outside. The censers of these who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into gilded leafing plating for the altar; because they presented them before Yahweh, they are holy; and they will be a sign for the Israelites.'” Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that the ones who were burned presented, and they hammered them out thinly as plating for the altar; it was a memorial for the Israelites, so that no strange man who is not from the offspring of Aaron should approach the presence of Yahweh to burn a smoke offering; he will not be like Korah and his company, just as Yahweh had spoken to him by the hand of Moses.

The next day all the community of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of Yahweh!” Then, when the community had gathered against Moses and Aaron, they turned to the tent of assembly, and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of assembly, and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from the midst of this community, and I will finish them in an instant,” but they fell on their faces. And Moses and Aaron said, “Take the censer, and put fire on it from the altar. Place incense on it, and bring it quickly to the community, and make atonement for them, because wrath went out from the presence of Yahweh, and a plague has begun.” And so Aaron took it just as Moses had spoken, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people; so he gave the incense and made atonement for the people. He stood between the dead and between the living, and the plague was stopped. Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died on account of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and the plague was stopped.

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and take from among them twelve staffs, a staff from each family from among all their leaders according to their families’ households. Write the name of each man on his staff, and the name of Aaron on the staff of Levi, because one staff is for the head of each of their families. You must then put them in the tent of assembly before the testimony where I meet with you. And it will happen, the man whom I will choose, his staff will blossom, and so I will rid from upon myself the grumblings of the Israelites, who are grumbling against you.” Moses spoke to the Israelites, and all their leaders gave him a staff for each leader, one from each of their families, twelve staffs, and the staff of Aaron was in the midst of their tribes. And Moses put the staffs before Yahweh in the tent of testimony.

Then the next day, Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi blossomed and put forth a flower and produced blossoms, and it produced almonds. Then Moses brought out to all the Israelites all the staffs before the presence of Yahweh, and they saw, and each man took his staff. And Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring back the staff of Aaron before the testimony as a guard and sign for the children of rebellion, and let them finish their grumblings before me and not die.” So Moses did; just as Yahweh commanded him, so he did.

And the Israelites said to Moses, saying, “Look! We will die! We will be destroyed! All of us will perish! Anyone who approaches the tabernacle of Yahweh will die. Will we all die?”

Yahweh said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your family with you will bear the guilt of the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you will bear the guilt of your priesthood. Moreover, bring your brothers with you, the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father, that they may be joined to you and minister to you, you and your sons with you before the tent of testimony. They will keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, only they may not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, so both you and they will not die. They will be joined to you, and they will keep the responsibility of the tent of assembly for the entire service of the tent; a stranger may not come near you. You will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, and there will no longer be wrath on the Israelites. Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the midst of the children. They are a gift to you given from Yahweh to perform the work of the tent of assembly. But you with your sons will keep your priesthood to perform your priestly duties for everything at the altar and for the area behind the curtain. I give you the priesthood as a gift, but the stranger who approaches will be put to death.”

Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I myself have given to you the responsibility of my contributions for all the holy objects of the Israelites; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons as an eternal decree. This will be for you from the sanctuary of the holy things from the fire; all of their offerings, from every grain offering, from every sin offering, and from every guilt offering which they will bring to me is a most holy thing for you and your sons. You will eat it in the most holy place; every male will eat it. It will be a holy object to you. This is also for you: the contribution of their gift of the wave offerings of the children Israel. I have given them to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. All the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and their best grain that they have given to Yahweh, I have given them to you. The firstfruits of all that is in their land that they present to Yahweh will be for you; whoever is clean in your house may eat it. All consecrated possessions in Israel will be for you. All the first offspring of a womb of any creature that they offer to Yahweh, whether human or animal, will be yours; you will surely redeem the firstborn of the human and the unclean firstborn of the animal. As to their price of redemption, from a one-month-old you will redeem them according to your proper value, five shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerah. Only the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you will not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you will sprinkle over the altar, and their fat you will turn into smoke as an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh. But their flesh will be for you like the breast section of the wave offering, and it will be for you like the right upper thigh. All the contributions of holiness that the Israelites offer to Yahweh I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an eternal decree; it is an eternal covenant of salt before Yahweh to you and your offspring with you.” Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “You will not receive an inheritance in their land, and there will not be a plot of ground for you in the midst of the Israelites.

“Behold, I have given to the descendants of Levi every tithe in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service, which they are doing, the work of the tent of assembly. The Israelites will not come near again to the tent of assembly, or they will bear sin and die. The Levites will perform the service of the tent of assembly, and they will bear their guilt, an eternal decree for all your generations. But they will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites because the tithes of the Israelites that are offered to Yahweh as a contribution, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I said to them, ‘They will not receive an inheritance in the midst of the Israelites.'”

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You will speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you receive the tithe from the Israelites that I have given to you from them for your inheritance, you will present a contribution from it to Yahweh, a tithe from a tithe. Your contribution will be credited to you like the grain from the threshing floor and like the produce from the press. So you will present your own contribution to Yahweh from all your tithes that you receive from the Israelites; from it you will give the contribution of Yahweh to Aaron the priest. From all your gifts you will present every contribution of Yahweh, from all its fat, the part that is sacred.’ You will say to them, ‘When you are presenting its fat, the rest will be credited to the Levites like a yield of the threshing floor and like a yield from the press. You may eat it anywhere, you and your household, because it is a wage in return for your service in the tent of assembly. You will not bear any sin because you have presented its fat; you will not defile the holy objects of the Israelites, or you will die.'”

Praise Yah!

Praise, O servants of Yahweh,

praise the name of Yahweh.

Let the name of Yahweh be blessed,

from now until forever.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,

let the name of Yahweh be blessed.

Yahweh is high above all nations;

his glory is above the heavens.

Who is like Yahweh our God,

who is enthroned on high,

who condescends to look at

what is in the heavens and in the earth?

He raises the helpless from the dust;

he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to seat them with princes,

with the princes of his people.

He causes the barren woman of the house to dwell

as the happy mother of children.

Praise Yah!

Therefore, if you have been raised together with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Therefore put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustful passion, evil desire, and greediness, which is idolatry, because of which the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which also you once lived, when you used to live in them. But now you also lay aside all these things: anger, rage, wickedness, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, because you have taken off the old man together with his deeds, and have put on the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all, and in all.

Therefore, as the chosen of God, holy and dearly loved, put on affection, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, putting up with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone should have a complaint against anyone, just as also the Lord forgave you, thus also you do the same. And to all these things add love, which is the bond of perfection. And the peace of Christ must rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God, and everything whatever you do in word or in deed, giving thanks for all things in the name of the Lord Jesus to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they will not become discouraged. Slaves, obey your human masters in everything, not while being watched, as people pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, accomplish it from the soul, as to the Lord, and not to people, because you know that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ. For the one who does wrong will receive back whatever wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Until next time, keep meditating on the word of God.

Scripture quotations are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.