Chapter 16
1Now Korah, son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, son of Levi Ephraim along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab and On, son of Peleth—conducted
2a rebellion against Moses along with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and representatives in the assembly.
3They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “[You have taken] too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy and AO is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of AO?”
4When Moses heard this he fell facedown.
5Then he said to Korah and all his followers, “Tomorrow morning AO will reveal who belongs to Him and who is holy and He will bring that person near to Himself. The one He chooses He will bring near Himself.
6[You,] Korah and all your followers are to do as follows: Take censers
7and tomorrow you are to place fire and incense in them in the presence of AO. Then the man AO chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi Ephraim who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
8Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen you sons of Levi Ephraim!
9Is it not enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at AO’s tabernacle and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?
10He has brought you near, [you] and all your fellow Levites Ephrathites, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.
11Therefore it is you and all your followers who have conspired against AO! As for Aaron, who is he that you should grumble against him?”
12Then Moses summoned 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 appoint yourself as ruler over us?
14Moreover 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? No, we will not come!”
15Then Moses became very angry and said to AO, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”
16And Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before AO tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.
17Each man is to take his censer, place in it incense, and present [it] before AO—250 censers. You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”
18So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
19When Korah had gathered his whole assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of AO appeared to the whole congregation.
20And AO said to Moses and Aaron,
21“Separate yourselves from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
23Then AO said to Moses,
24“Tell the congregation to move away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.”
25So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram and the elders of Israel followed him.
26And he warned the congregation, “Move away now 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 the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Meanwhile Dathan and Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children and infants.
28Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that AO has sent me to do all these things for it was not my own doing:
29If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then AO has not sent me.
30But if AO brings about something unprecedented and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated AO {with contempt}.”
31As soon as [Moses] had finished saying all this, the ground split open beneath them
32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their possessions.
33They went down with all they owned alive into Sheol. The earth closed over them and they vanished from the assembly.
34At their cries, all the people of Israel who [were] around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow us too!”
35And fire came forth from AO and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
36Then AO said to Moses,
37Tell Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the coals far away because [the censers] are holy.
38As for the censers of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to overlay the altar for these were presented before AO and so have become holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.”
39So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar just as AO commanded him through Moses.
40This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should approach to offer incense before AO lest he become like Korah and his followers.
41The next day the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron saying, “You have killed AO’s people!”
42But when the congregation gathered against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting and suddenly the cloud appeared and the glory of AO covered it.
43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting
44and AO said to Moses,
45“Get away from this congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.” And [Moses and Aaron] fell facedown.
46Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them because wrath has come out from AO; the plague has begun.”
47So Aaron took [the censer] as Moses had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense and made atonement for the people.
48He stood between the dead and the living and the plague was halted.
49But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700 in addition to those who had died on account of Korah.
50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting since the plague had been halted.