Targum do Liczb 17:32

And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying:

Bid Elazar bar Aharon the priest to take away the censers from among the burnings, and scatter the fire hither and thither; for the censers of these guilty men who have been punished by the destruction of their lives are consecrated;

and make of them broad plates for the covering of the altar, because they bare them before the Lord, therefore they are consecrate; and they shall be for a sign to the children of Israel.

For a sign.

And Elazar the priest took the brasen censers which they who had been burned had carried, and beat them out for a covering for the body of the altar, as they had before used them for the service of the altar:

for a memorial to the sons of Israel, that no common man, who is not of the sons of Aharon, may offer incense before the Lord; and that no man should behave himself factiously to obtain the priesthood, as did Korach and the company of his helpers; and whose end would be to perish, not (indeed) with a death like that of Korach and his company, by being burned by fire, and being swallowed up by the earth, but punished with leprosy: as when the Lord said to Mosheh, Put thy hand into thy bosom, and his hand was stricken with leprosy; so would it be with him.

But on the following day the whole congregation murmured against Mosheh and Aharon, saying: You have been the occasion of the judgment of death against the people of the Lord.

And it was, that when the congregation had gathered against Mosheh and Aharon to kill them, they looked towards the Tabernacle of Ordinance, and, behold, the Cloud of the Glory of the Shekinah covered it, and the Glory of the Lord was revealed there.

And Mosheh and Aharon went from the congregation to the door of the tabernacle.

And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying:

Separate from the midst of this congregation, and I will consume them at once. But they bowed themselves on their faces in prayer.

Separate from the people of this congregation, and I will destroy them in a brief moment. But they bowed down on their faces in prayer.

And Mosheh said to Aharon, Take the censer, put fire in it from the altar, and sweet incense on the fire; bear it quickly into the congregation, and make atonement for them: for a destruction like that which consumed them in Horeb, whose name is Burning, hath begun by commandment to kill, from the presence of the Lord.

And Aharon took, as Mosheh had said, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and, behold the destructive burning had begun to destroy the people: but he put on incense, and made atonement for the people.

And Aharon stood in the midst, between the dead and the living with the censer, and interceded in prayer; and the plague was restrained.

But the number who had died by the plague was fourteeen thousand and seven hundred, beside those who had died in the schism of Korach.

And Aharon returned to Mosheh at the door of the tabernacle; and the plague was stayed.

And the Lord spake with Mosheh, saying:

Speak with the sons of Israel, and take of them severally a rod, according to the house of their fathers; twelve rods; and upon each rod thou shalt inscribe its (tribe) name.

But on the rod of Levi thou shalt write the name of Aharon: for there is but one rod for each head of their father's house.

And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle before the testimony, where My Word is appointed to meet you.

And the man whose rod germinateth shall be he whom I approve to minister before Me; and I will make the murmurings of the sons of Israel with which they have murmured against you to cease from Me.

Mosheh spake, therefore, with the sons of Israel, and the chiefs of them gave him severally their rods, according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; and Aharon's rod was among theirs.

And Mosheh laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of ordinance.

And it came to pass, the day after, when Mosheh went into the tabernacle of the testimony, that, behold, the rod of Aharon had germinated; it had shot forth branches, blossomed with flowers, and, in the same night, produced and ripened almonds.

And the day following Mosheh went into the tabernacle of testimony, and, behold, the rod of Aharon, of his house of Levi, had germinated, put forth buds, bloomed with flowers, and ripened almonds, the fruit of the almond.

And Mosheh brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the sons of Israel, who recognised and took severally their rods.

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Take back the rod of Aharon, before the testimony, to be kept for a sign for the rebellious children, that their murmurings may cease from before Me, lest they die.

And Mosheh did so; as the Lord commanded so did he.

And the sons of Israel spake with Mosheh, saying: Behold, some of us have been consumed with the flaming fire; some of us have been swallowed up by the earth, and have perished! Behold, we are accounted as if all of us are to be destroyed.

And the sons of Israel spake, saying: Behold, we are consumed, and are all of us as if destroyed. Some of us have died of the plague, and some of us the earth, opening her mouth, hath swallowed up.

Any one who approaches the tabernacle must die: are we not doomed to destruction?