God

Also the fire pans of these men, whose sin cost them their lives, have become holy, because they were offered before ADONAI. Therefore, have them hammered into plates to cover the altar. This will be a sign for the people of Isra'el."

to remind the people of Isra'el that an ordinary person, not descended from Aharon, is not to approach and burn incense before ADONAI, if he wants to avoid the fate of Korach and his group - as ADONAI had said to him through Moshe.

But the very next day, the whole community of the people of Isra'el complained against Moshe and Aharon: "You have killed ADONAI's people!"

However, as the community was assembling against Moshe and Aharon, they looked in the direction of the tent of meeting and saw the cloud cover it and the glory of ADONAI

ADONAI said to Moshe,

"Get away from this assembly, and I will destroy them at once!" But they fell on their faces.

Moshe said to Aharon, "Take your fire pan, put fire from the altar in it, lay incense on it, and hurry with it to the assembly to make atonement for them, because anger has gone out from ADONAI, and the plague has already begun!"

ADONAI said to Moshe,

Put them in the tent of meeting in front of the testimony, where I meet with you.

The staff of the man I am going to choose will sprout buds - in this way I will put a stop to the complaints the people of Isra'el keep making against you."

Moshe put the staffs before ADONAI in the tent of the testimony.

Moshe brought out all the staffs from before ADONAI to all the people of Isra'el, and they looked, and each man took back his staff.

ADONAI said to Moshe, "Return Aharon's staff to its place in front of the testimony. It is to be kept there as a sign to the rebels, so that they will stop grumbling against me and thus not die."

Moshe did this; he did as ADONAI had ordered him.

Whenever anyone approaches the tabernacle of ADONAI, he dies! Will we all perish?"

ADONAI said to Aharon, "You, your sons and your father's family line will be responsible for anything that goes wrong in the sanctuary. You and your sons with you will be responsible for anything wrong in your service as cohanim.

I myself have taken your kinsmen the L'vi'im from among the people of Isra'el; they have been given as a gift to ADONAI for you, so that you can perform the service in the tent of meeting.

You and your sons with you will exercise your prerogatives and duties as cohanim in regard to everything having to do with the altar and within the curtain. I entrust the service required of cohanim to you; the unauthorized person who tries to perform it is to be put to death."

ADONAI said to Aharon, "I myself have put you in charge of the contributions given to me. Everything consecrated by the people of Isra'el I have given and set aside for you and your sons; this is a perpetual law.

Here is what is to be yours of the especially holy things taken from the fire: every offering they make - that is, every grain offering, sin offering and guilt offering of theirs that they turn over to me - will be especially holy for you and your sons.

"Also yours is the contribution the people of Isra'el give in the form of wave offerings. I have given these to you, your sons and your daughters with you; this is a perpetual law. Everyone in your family who is clean may eat it.

All the best of the olive oil, wine and grain, the first portion of what they give to ADONAI, I have given to you.

The first produce to turn ripe of all that is in their land, which they bring to ADONAI, is to be yours; every clean person in your family may eat it.

"Everything that comes first out of the womb, of all living things which they offer to ADONAI, whether human or animal, will be yours. However, the firstborn of a human being you must redeem, and the firstborn of an unclean beast you are to redeem.

But the firstborn of an ox, sheep or goat you are not to redeem; they are holy - you are to splash their blood against the altar and make their fat go up in smoke as an offering made by fire, as a fragrant aroma for ADONAI.