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 (Eliab and Peleth were sons of Reuben)

² rebelled against Moses, together with two hundred and fifty of the sons of Israel, leaders of the community, prominent in the solemn feasts, men of repute.

³ These joined forces against Moses and Aaron saying to them, ‘You take too much on yourselves! The whole community and all its members are consecrated, and Yahweh lives among them. Why set yourselves higher than the community of Yahweh?’

⁴ Moses, when he heard this, threw himself face downward on the ground.

⁵ Then he said to Korah and all his followers, ‘Tomorrow morning Yahweh will reveal who is his, who is the consecrated man that he will allow to come near him. The one he allows to come near is the one whom he has chosen.

⁶ This is what you are to do: take the censers of Korah and all his followers,

⁷ fill them with fire and, tomorrow, put incense in them before Yahweh. Yahweh will choose the one who is the consecrated man. Sons of Levi, you take too much on yourselves!’

⁸ Moses said to Korah, ‘Listen to me now, you sons of Levi!

⁹ Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has singled you out from the community of Israel, and called you close to himself for service in the tabernacle of Yahweh, to stand before this community and perform the sacred rites on their behalf?

¹⁰ He has called you to be near him, you and all your brother Levites with you, and now you aspire to the office of priesthood as well!

¹¹ Against Yahweh himself you have joined forces, you and your followers: for what is Aaron that you should complain against him?’

¹² Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. They replied, ‘We will not come.

¹³ Was it not enough to take us from a land where milk and honey flow to die in this wilderness, without seeking to lord it over us now?

¹⁴ There is no land flowing with milk and honey that you have brought us to, nor have you given us fields and vineyards for our inheritance. Do you expect this people to be blind? We will not come.’

¹⁵ Moses flew into a rage and said to Yahweh, ‘Pay no heed to their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I harmed any of them.’

¹⁶ Moses said to Korah, ‘You and all your followers, come tomorrow into the presence of Yahweh, you and they, and Aaron too.

¹⁷ Let every man bring his censer, put incense in it, and carry his censer before Yahweh-two hundred and fifty censers. You and Aaron also, each of you bring his censer.’

¹⁸ So every man took his censer, filled it with fire, and put incense in it. And they stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and Moses and Aaron with them.

¹⁹ Then, when Korah had assembled the whole community to confront these two at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole community.

²⁰ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said,

²¹ ‘Stand apart from this assembly, I am going to destroy them here and now’.

²² They threw themselves face downward on the ground, and cried out, ‘O God, God of the spirits that give life to every living thing, will you be angry with the whole community for one man’s sin?’

²³ Yahweh answered Moses and said,

²⁴ ‘Say this to the community, “Stand clear of the dwelling of Korah”‘.

²⁵ Moses stood up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him.

²⁶ He said to the community, ‘Stand away, I beg you, from the tents of these perverse men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, for fear that with all their sins you too will be swept away’.

²⁷ So they moved away from the dwelling of Korah. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at their tent doors, with their wives and their sons and their young children.

²⁸ Moses said, ‘By this you will know that Yahweh himself has sent me to perform all these tasks and that this is not my doing.

²⁹ If these people die a natural death such as men commonly die, then Yahweh has not sent me.

³⁰ But if Yahweh does something utterly new, if the earth should open its mouth and swallow them, themselves and all that belongs to them, so that they go down alive to Sheol[*a], then you will know that these men have rejected Yahweh.’

³¹ The moment he finished saying all these words, the ground split open under their feet,

³² the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their families too, and all Korah’s men and all their belongings.

³³ They went down alive to Sheol, they and all their possessions. The earth closed over them and they disappeared from the midst of the assembly.

³⁴ At their cries all the Israelites around them ran away. For they said, ‘The earth must not swallow us!’

³⁵ A fire came down from Yahweh and consumed the two hundred and fifty men carrying incense.