1 Now AEx 6:21; Jude 11Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with BNum 26:9; Deut 11:6Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, 2 and they rose up before Moses, 1Lit and men fromtogether with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, 2Lit called ones ofANum 1:16; 26:9chosen in the assembly, men of renown. 3 They assembled together ANum 12:2; Ps 106:16against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “1Lit It is much for youBNum 16:7You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and CNum 5:3the Loʀᴅ is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Loʀᴅ?”

4 When Moses heard this, ANum 14:5he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “Tomorrow morning the Loʀᴅ will show who is His, and ALev 10:3; Ps 65:4who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself; even BNum 17:5, 8the one whom He will choose, He will bring near to Himself. 6  “Do this: take censers for yourselves, Korah and all 1Lit hisyour company, 7 and put fire in them, and lay incense upon them in the presence of the Loʀᴅ tomorrow; and the man whom the Loʀᴅ chooses shall be the one who is holy. 1Lit It is much for youANum 16:3You have gone far enough, you sons of Levi!”

8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi, 9 AIs 7:13is it 1Or too little for younot enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the congregation of Israel, BNum 3:6, 9; Deut 10:8to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Loʀᴅ, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; 10 and that He has brought you near, Korah, and all your brothers, sons of Levi, with you? And are you ANum 3:10; 18:1-7seeking for the priesthood also? 11  “Therefore you and all your company are gathered together AEx 16:7against the Loʀᴅ; but as for Aaron, 1Lit whatwho is he that B1 Cor 10:10you grumble against him?”

12 Then Moses sent 1Lit to calla summons to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; but they said, “We will not come up. 13  “Is it 1Lit a little thingnot enough that you have brought us up out of a AEx 16:3; Num 11:4-6land flowing with milk and honey BNum 14:2, 3to have us die in the wilderness, but you would also lord it over us? 14  “Indeed, you have not brought us ANum 13:27; 14:8into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of BEx 22:5; 23:10, 11; Num 20:5fields and vineyards. Would you 1Lit bore outCJudg 16:21; 1 Sam 11:2put out the eyes of 2Lit thosethese men? We will not come up!”

15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the Loʀᴅ, “AGen 4:4, 5Do not regard their offering! B1 Sam 12:3I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.” 16 Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company be present before the Loʀᴅ tomorrow, both you and they along with Aaron. 17  “Each of you take his firepan and put incense on 1Lit themit, and each of you bring his censer before the Loʀᴅ, two hundred and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron shall each bring his firepan.” 18 So they each took his own censer and put fire on 1Lit themit, and laid incense on 1Lit themit; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. 19 Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And ANum 14:10; 16:42; 20:6the glory of the Loʀᴅ appeared to all the congregation.

20 Then the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “ANum 16:45Separate yourselves from among this congregation, BEx 32:10, 12that I may consume them instantly.” 22 But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, ANum 27:16God of the spirits of all flesh, BGen 18:23-32; Lev 4:3when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

23 Then the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘ANum 16:45Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’ ”

25 Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, 26 and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “AIs 52:11Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, BGen 19:15, 17or you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27 So they got back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the doorway of their tents, along with their wives and ANum 26:11their sons and their little ones. 28 Moses said, “By this you shall know that AEx 3:12-15; 4:12, 15the Loʀᴅ has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not 1Lit from my heartmy doing. 29  “If these men die 1Lit like the deaththe death of all men or 2Lit the visitation of all men be visited upon themif they suffer the AEccl 3:19fate of all men, then the Loʀᴅ has not sent me. 30  “But AJob 31:2, 3if the Loʀᴅ 1Lit creates a new creationbrings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they BPs 55:15descend alive into 2I.e. the nether worldSheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Loʀᴅ.”

31 As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32 and ANum 26:10; Deut 11:6; Ps 106:17the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and BNum 26:11all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to 1I.e. the nether worldSheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 All Israel who were around them fled at their 1Or voiceoutcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!” 35 ANum 11:1-3; 26:10Fire also came forth from the Loʀᴅ and consumed the BNum 16:2two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

36 1Ch 17:1 in HebThen the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Say to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he shall take up the censers out of the midst of the 1Or place of burningblaze, for they are holy; and you scatter the 2Lit the fireburning coals abroad. 38  “As for the censers of these 1Lit sinners against their livesmen who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered sheets for a plating of the altar, since they did present them before the Loʀᴅ and they are holy; and AEzek 14:8; 2 Pet 2:6they shall be for a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which the men who were burned had offered, and they hammered them out as a plating for the altar, 40 as a 1Or memorialreminder to the sons of Israel that ANum 1:51no 2Lit strangerlayman who is not of the 3Lit seeddescendants of Aaron should come near BEx 30:7-10to burn incense before the Loʀᴅ; so that he will not become like Korah and his company—just as the Loʀᴅ had spoken to him 4Lit by the hand ofthrough Moses.

41 But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel ANum 16:3grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Loʀᴅ’s people.” 42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and ANum 16:19the glory of the Loʀᴅ appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Loʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “1Or AriseANum 16:21, 24Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces. 46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and ANum 25:13; Is 6:6, 7make atonement for them, for BNum 18:5; Deut 9:22wrath has gone forth from the Loʀᴅ, the plague has begun!” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. ANum 25:6-8, 13So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked. 49 ANum 25:9But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who BNum 16:32, 35died on account of Korah. 50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the doorway of the tent of meeting, for the plague had been checked.