34In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation.35I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation, which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”

The Plague on the Ten Spies

36So the men Moses had sent to spy out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land—37those men who had brought out the bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the LORD.38Of those men who had gone to spy out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh remained alive.

39And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.

The Defeat at Hormah

40Early the next morning they got up and went up toward the ridge of the hill country. “We have indeed sinned,” they said, “but we will go to the place the LORD has promised.”

41But Moses said, “Why are you transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!42Do not go up, lest you be struck down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you.43For there the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.”

44But they dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the covenant of the LORD moved from the camp.45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them all the way to Hormah.

Laws about Offerings

1Then the LORD said to Moses,2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land that I am giving you as a home3and you present an offering made by fire to the LORD from the herd or flock to produce a pleasing aroma to the LORD—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, for a special vow or freewill offering or appointed feast—4then the one presenting his offering to the LORD shall also present a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter hin of olive oil.5With the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb, you are to prepare a quarter hin of wine as a drink offering.

6With a ram you are to prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil,7and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.8When you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace offering to the LORD,9present with the bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of olive oil.10Also present half a hin of wine as a drink offering. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.11This is to be done for each bull, ram, lamb, or goat.12This is how you must prepare each one, no matter how many.

13Everyone who is native-born shall prepare these things in this way when he presents an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.14And for the generations to come, if a foreigner residing with you or someone else among you wants to prepare an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD, he is to do exactly as you do.15The assembly is to have the same statute both for you and for the foreign resident; it is a permanent statute for the generations to come. You and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD.16The same law and the same ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing with you.”

17Then the LORD said to Moses,18“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land to which I am bringing you19and you eat the food of the land, you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.20From the first of your dough, you are to lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an offering from the threshing floor.21Throughout your generations, you are to give the LORD an offering from the first of your dough.

Offerings for Unintentional Sins

22Now if you stray unintentionally and do not obey all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses—23all that the LORD has commanded you through Moses from the day the LORD gave them and continuing through the generations to come—24and if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.25The priest is to make atonement for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to the LORD an offering made by fire and a sin offering, presented before the LORD for their unintentional sin.26Then the whole congregation of Israel and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.

27Also, if one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering.28And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven.29You shall have the same law for the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you.

30But the person who sins defiantly, whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person shall be cut off from among his people.31He shall certainly be cut off, because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His commandment; his guilt remains on him.”

A Sabbath-Breaker Stoned

32While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.33Those who found the man gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation,34and because it had not been declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.

35And the LORD said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to stone him outside the camp.”36So the whole congregation took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Law of Tassels

37Later, the LORD said to Moses,38“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue cord on each tassel.39These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the commandments of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart and your own eyes.40Then you will remember and obey all My commandments, and you will be holy to your God.41I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.”

Korah’s Rebellion

1Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted2a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.3They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.5Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses, He will bring near to Himself.6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers,7and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. Then the man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi who have taken too much upon yourselves!”

8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you sons of Levi!9Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?10He has brought you near, you and all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.11Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who is he that you should grumble against him?”

12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!13Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us?14Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. 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 regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”

16And Moses 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, place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”

18So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.19When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.20And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,21“Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”

22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”

Moses Separates the People

23Then the LORD said to Moses,24“Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.26And he warned the congregation, “Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”

27So they moved away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.

The Earth Swallows Korah

28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it was not my own doing:29If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.30But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”

31As soon as Moses had finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.