Numbers 16
1 Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, took Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, with him.
2 They rose up against Moses with 250 Israelites, leaders of the community, called to the assembly, men of renown.
3 They gathered against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community, every one of them, is holy, and the LORD is among them. Why, then, do you exalt yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.
5 Then he said to Korah and his whole group, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will make known who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will bring that person near to him. The one he chooses, he will bring near to him.
6 Do this: Korah and all your group, take censers for yourselves.
7 Tomorrow put fire in them and place incense on them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Listen, sons of Levi.
9 Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel to bring you near to him, to serve in the work of the LORD’s tabernacle, and to stand before the community to serve them?
10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near with you, and now you seek the priesthood too?
11 That is why you and your whole group have joined together against the LORD. As for Aaron, what is he, that you should grumble against him?”
12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up!”
13 Is it too little that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you want to lord it over us completely?
14 Besides, you have not brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey or given us fields and vineyards as an inheritance. Do you want to gouge out these men’s eyes? We will not come up!”
15 Moses was very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”
16 Moses said to Korah, “You and your whole group, appear before the LORD tomorrow—you, they, and Aaron.
17 Each of you take your censer, put incense on it, and present your censer before the LORD: 250 censers. You and Aaron, too, each with his censer.”
18 Each man took his censer, put fire in it, and placed incense on it. They stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron.
19 Korah gathered the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community.
20 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
21 “Separate yourselves from the midst of this community, and I will consume them in an instant.”
22 They fell facedown and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, if one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?”
23 The LORD said to Moses:
24 “Tell the community, ‘Move away from around the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
26 He said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be swept away with all their sins.”
27 They moved away from around the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances to their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little ones.
28 Moses said, “By this you will know that the LORD sent me to do all these things, and that they did not come from my own will:
29 If these men die as all people die, and their fate is the fate of all people, then the LORD did not send me.
30 But if the LORD creates something new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive to Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised the LORD.”
31 As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open.
32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, everyone who belonged to Korah, and all their possessions.
33 They and everything that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; the earth covered them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.
34 All Israel around them fled at their cries, for they said, “The earth may swallow us too!”
35 Fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
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