“This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting,

At the commandment of the Lord the Israelites would begin their journey, and at the commandment of the Lord they would make camp; as long as the cloud remained settled over the tabernacle they would camp.

When the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, then the Israelites obeyed the instructions of the Lord and did not journey.

Now the mixed multitude who were among them craved more desirable foods, and so the Israelites wept again and said, “If only we had meat to eat!

So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to investigate the land. And Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.

That place was called the Eshcol Valley, because of the cluster of grapes that the Israelites cut from there.

We even saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed liked grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them.”

They said to the whole community of the Israelites, “The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly good land.

However, the whole community threatened to stone them. But the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.

“How long must I bear with this evil congregation that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.

Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness – all those of you who were numbered, according to your full number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me.

and your children will wander in the wilderness forty years and suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your dead bodies lie finished in the wilderness.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land where you are to live, which I am giving you,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land to which I am bringing you

and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of the community, chosen from the assembly, famous men.

So they got away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side, and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves in the entrances of their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers.

“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to pick up the censers out of the flame, for they are holy, and then scatter the coals of fire at a distance.

But on the next day the whole community of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the Lord’s people!”

And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”