Numbers 16

16 ¹ Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, gathered men, along with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben. ² They stood before Moses with 250 Israelite leaders of the community — chosen assembly members, men of renown. ³ They gathered against Moses and Aaron and said, "Enough! The whole congregation is holy, all of them, and our Father is among them. Why do you set yourselves above our Father's assembly?"

⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. ⁵ He said to Korah and all his company, "In the morning, our Father will show who is his and who is holy, and will bring that one near to himself. Whoever he chooses, he will bring near to himself." ⁶ Do this: take censers, Korah and all your company, ⁷ Tomorrow put fire in them, lay incense on them before our Father. The man our Father chooses will be the holy one. You've gone too far, sons of Levi!

⁸ Moses also said to Korah, "Listen now, you sons of Levi: ⁹ Is it not enough for you that the Father of Israel set you apart from the rest of Israel's congregation, to bring you near himself, to do the work of our Father's tabernacle, and stand before the congregation to serve them? ¹⁰ He brought you near — you and all your brothers, sons of Levi — yet now you seek the priesthood too? ¹¹ You and your whole group have gathered against our Father. Aaron—what is he, that you grumble against him?

¹² Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. They said, "We will not come up!" ¹³ Is it not enough you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also rule over us? ¹⁴ Also, you haven't brought us to a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us fields and vineyards as an inheritance. Will you gouge out these men's eyes? We won't come up!

¹⁵ Moses was furious and said to our Father, "Disregard their offering. I haven't taken a single donkey from them, nor wronged any of them."

¹⁶ Moses told Korah, "You and your whole company, present yourselves before our Father tomorrow — you, they, and Aaron." ¹⁷ Each man is to take his censer, put incense on it, and bring it before our Father — two hundred fifty censers — you and Aaron, each with his own censer.

¹⁸ Each took his censer, put fire and incense on it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the tent of meeting's entrance. ¹⁹ Korah gathered the whole congregation against them at the tent of meeting's entrance; the glory of our Father appeared to the whole congregation.

²⁰ And our Father spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

²¹ "Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may consume them in an instant."

²² Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried, "O our Father, the Father of the spirits of all flesh — when one man sins, will you be angry with the whole congregation?" ²³ Then our Father said to Moses,

²⁴ "Say to the congregation: Move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram."

²⁵ So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶ He told the congregation, "Leave the tents of these wicked men. Touch nothing of theirs, or you'll be swept away in all their sins."

²⁷ So they withdrew from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side, while Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at their tent entrances with their wives, sons, and little ones.

²⁸ Moses said, "This is how you'll know our Father sent me to do all these things, and that none of it was my own idea: ²⁹ If these men die a normal death, sharing the fate of everyone, then our Father has not sent me. ³⁰ But if our Father creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them with all that is theirs, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know these men have despised our Father.

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground beneath them split open, ³² The earth opened its mouth, swallowing them, their households, all Korah's people, and all their possessions. ³³ They and all who were theirs went down alive into the grave; the earth closed over them, and they were destroyed from the assembly. ³⁴ All Israel around them fled at their cry, for they said, "The earth may swallow us too!" ³⁵ Fire came out from our Father and consumed the two hundred fifty men offering the incense.