Numbers 16

1Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, took action, along with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, who were descendants of Reuben.

2They rose up against Moses, together with 250 Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, men of renown.

3They assembled against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole congregation is holy, every one of them, and Yahweh is among them. Why then do you set yourselves above Yahweh’s assembly?”

4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.

5Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “In the morning Yahweh will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will let that person come near to him. The one he chooses he will let come near to him.

6Do this, Korah, you and all your followers: take censers,

7put fire in them, and put incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow. The man Yahweh chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites!

9Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to himself, to do the work of Yahweh’s tabernacle and to stand before the congregation and serve them?

10He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites with you, and now you are seeking the priesthood too!

11So it is against Yahweh that you and all your followers have banded together. And who is Aaron, that you grumble against him?”

12Then Moses sent for 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 make yourself a lord over us?

14Besides, 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? We will not come!”

15Moses became very angry and said to Yahweh, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken a single donkey from them, and I have not harmed any one of them.”

16Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before Yahweh tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.

17Each of you is to take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you is to present his censer before Yahweh, 250 censers. You and Aaron are to bring your censers too.”

18So each man took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron.

19When Korah had gathered the whole congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole congregation.

20Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron,

21“Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may destroy them in an instant.”

22But they fell facedown and said, “God, the God of the spirits of all people, when one man sins, will you be angry with the whole congregation?”

23Then Yahweh said to Moses,

24“Tell the congregation, ‘Move away from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”

25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

26He said to the congregation, “Move away 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 around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrance of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.

28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that Yahweh has sent me to do all these things, and that it was not my own idea:

29If these men die a natural death like everyone else, and share the fate of all people, then Yahweh has not sent me.

30But if Yahweh does something entirely new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated Yahweh with contempt.”

31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split open.

32The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, along with all Korah’s people and all their possessions.

33They went down alive into Sheol, they and everything that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they disappeared from among the assembly.

34All the Israelites around them fled at their cries, for they said, “The earth may swallow us too!”

35Then fire came out from Yahweh and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

36Yahweh said to Moses,

37“Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to take the censers out of the blaze and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers have become holy.

38As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives, have them hammered into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before Yahweh and have become holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites.”

39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned up, and they were hammered out as an overlay for the altar,

40as a reminder to the Israelites that no unauthorized person, no one who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to burn incense before Yahweh, or he would become like Korah and his followers. This was done as Yahweh had told Eleazar through Moses.

41The next day the whole congregation of the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They said, “You have killed Yahweh’s people!”

42But when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting, and there was the cloud covering it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared.

43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting,

44and Yahweh said to Moses,

45“Get away from this congregation, so that I may destroy them in an instant.” But they fell facedown.

46Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Then hurry to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from Yahweh. The plague has begun!”

47So Aaron took it as Moses had said and ran into the middle of the assembly. The plague had already begun among the people, so he put on the incense and made atonement for the people.

48He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

49But 14,700 people died in the plague, in addition to those who died because of Korah.

50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the plague had stopped.