The Skeptics Annotated Bible (147 page)

41 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 the LORD.

(16.41)
“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 the LORD.”

42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and,
behold
, the cloud covered it, and
the glory of the LORD appeared.

(16.42)
“Behold … the glory of the Lord appeared.”

43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

(16.44)
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,”

45
Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment
.
And they fell upon their faces.

(16.45a)
“Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment.”
God threatens (again) to kill everyone (but his special friends, Moses and Aaron).

(16.45b)
“And they fell upon their faces.”

46 And
Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer
, and put fire therein from off the altar,
and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them
: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

(16.46)
“Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer … and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them.”
Moses tells Aaron to burn some incense to make God quit killing people. (He just killed 250 for burning incense.)

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold,
the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

(16.47)
“The plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.”

48 And he stood between the dead and the living;
and the plague was stayed.

(16.48) “
And the plague was stayed.”

49 Now
they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

(16.49)
“They that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.”

50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

17
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.

3 And thou shalt write Aaron’s name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.

4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.

5 And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.

7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.

8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and,
behold, the rod of Aaron
for the house of Levi was
budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

(17.8)
“Behold, the rod of Aaron … budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.”
Aaron’s rod buds, blooms, and yield almonds. (He’s getting better at his magic tricks.)

9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.

10 And
the LORD said unto Moses
, Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and
thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.

(17.10)
“The LORD said unto Moses … Thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.”
God, who just finished killing thousands for murmuring, threatens to kill anyone else that murmurs.

11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.

12 And
the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.

13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die:
shall we be consumed with dying?

(17.12-13)
“The children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish …. Shall we be consumed with dying?”

18
And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness.

3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only
they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.

(18.3)
“They shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.”
Stay away from holy things and places—like churches. God will kill you if you get too close.