Numbers 16:7-37

⁷and tomorrow put incense in them and set it on fire in the presence of the Lord. Then the man the Lord chooses is the one who is holy. It is you Levites who are taking too much power for yourselves!”

⁸Moses also told Korah, “Listen, you Levites!

⁹Do you think it's something insignificant that the God of Israel chose you from all the other Israelites and allowed you to approach him and carry out the work in the Lord's Tabernacle, to stand before the Israelites and serve them?

¹⁰He has allowed you the privilege of approaching him, Korah, you and all the other Levites, but now you want to have the priesthood as well!

¹¹So in reality you and those who have joined you are fighting against the Lord—because who is Aaron that you should complain about him?”

¹²Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, “We're not going to appear before you!

¹³Haven't you done enough by taking us away from a land flowing with milk and honey in order to kill us out here in the desert? Do you have to make yourself a dictator as well, someone to rule us?

¹⁴On top of that you haven't taken us to a land flowing with milk and honey or given us fields and vineyards to own. Do you really think you can fool everyone? No, we will not attend!”

¹⁵Moses got really angry and said to the Lord, “Don't accept their offerings. I have never taken even a donkey from them or treated any of them badly.”

¹⁶Moses told Korah, “You and all those who have joined you must appear before the Lord tomorrow—all of you and Aaron too.

¹⁷Each one will take his incense burner, put incense in it, and offer it before the Lord. All 250 of you will use your incense burners and Aaron will as well.”

¹⁸So each one took his incense burner, put incense in it, set it on fire, and stood together with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁹When Korah had gathered all his rebellious group at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Lord's glory appeared before the whole congregation.

²⁰The Lord told Moses and Aaron,

²¹“Step away from these Israelites and I will destroy them right away.”

²²But Moses and Aaron fell facedown on the ground said, “God—God of everything that lives—when it's just one man who sins, do you have to be angry with the everybody?”

²³Then the Lord told Moses,

²⁴“Tell the people to move away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

²⁵So Moses went over to Dathan and Abiram, and the Israelite elders of Israel followed him.

²⁶He ordered the people, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men and don't touch anything that belongs to them, otherwise you will be destroyed along with them in all their sins.”

²⁷The people moved away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances to their tents along with their wives, children and little ones.

²⁸Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord did send me to carry out everything I've done, for it wasn't anything I thought up.

²⁹If these men die a natural death, experiencing the destiny of every human being, then the Lord didn't sent me.

³⁰But if the Lord does something totally different, and the earth opens up and swallows them down along with everything that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have acted with contempt to the Lord.”

³¹Immediately Moses finished saying all this the ground under the rebels split apart,

³²and the earth opened up and swallowed them and their households down, as well as everyone who was there with Korah and everything that belonged to them.

³³They went down alive into Sheol with all that they had. The earth closed over them, and they were no more.

³⁴When they heard their cries, all the Israelites nearby ran away, shouting, “Watch out! The earth could swallow us too!”

³⁵Fire burst out from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

³⁶Then the Lord said to Moses,

³⁷“Tell Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, to collect the holy incense burners from among those who have been burned up, and scatter the coals used for the incense well away from the camp.