Numbers 16

¹ Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, arose along with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth (sons of Reuben); ² they arose before Moses with men from the sons of Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, those called to appointment, men of renown. ³ They assembled against Moses and against Aaron and said to them: "Enough of you! For the whole congregation, all of them are holy, and in their midst is Yahweh; so for what reason are you lifting yourselves up over the assembly of Yahweh?" ⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell on his face. ⁵ Then he spoke to Korah and to his whole congregation, saying: "In the morning Yahweh shall make known who is His and who is holy, and He will bring him near to Him; whomever He may choose for Himself He shall bring near to Him. ⁶ This do: take fire-pans for yourselves, Korah and his whole congregation; ⁷ put fire in them and place incense on them before Yahweh tomorrow. And it will come to be: the man whom Yahweh shall choose, he is the holy one. Enough of you, sons of Levi!" ⁸ Then Moses said to Korah: "Hear, I pray, sons of Levi! ⁹ Is it too little a thing for you that the Elohim of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Him to serve in the service of the tabernacle of Yahweh and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? ¹⁰ He brought you near and all your brothers, the sons of Levi, with you. Yet now you seek even the priesthood! ¹¹ Wherefore you and all your congregation are set against Yahweh. As for Aaron, what is he that you are grumbling against him?" ¹² Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. Yet they said: "We shall not come up. ¹³ Is it a little thing that you brought us up from a land gushing with milk and honey to put us to death in the wilderness, and that you are making yourself a chief, yea a chief over us? ¹⁴ Indeed, into a land gushing with milk and honey you did not bring us that you might give to us an allotment of field and vineyard. Are you picking out the eyes of these men? We shall not come up!" ¹⁵ Moses' anger grew exceedingly hot, and he said to Yahweh: "Do not countenance their approach present. Not one donkey have I lifted from them, nor have I done evil to any one of them." ¹⁶ Moses said to Korah: "You and your whole congregation, come before Yahweh, you and they and Aaron tomorrow. ¹⁷ Take each man his fire-pan, put incense on them and bring each man his fire-pan near before Yahweh, two hundred fifty fire-pans, and you and Aaron, each man his fire-pan." ¹⁸ So they took each man his fire-pan, put fire on them, placed incense on them, and they stood at the opening of the tent of appointment, also Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹ Korah had assembled the whole congregation against them at the opening of the tent of appointment. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared to the whole congregation, ²⁰ and Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ²¹ "Separate yourselves from the midst of this congregation so that I may finish them in a moment." ²² Then they fell on their faces and said: "El, Elohim of the spirits for all flesh, as for the one man, he is sinning; but shall You be wrathful over the whole congregation?" ²³ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: ²⁴ "Speak to the congregation, saying: Move away from around the tabernacles of Korah, Dathan and Abiram." ²⁵ So Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel went after him. ²⁶ He spoke to the congregation, saying: "Withdraw, I pray, from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything which belongs to them lest you be swept up in all their sins." ²⁷ They moved away from the tabernacles of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, away from around them. As for Dathan and Abiram, they went forth, standing up at the opening of their tents with their wives, their sons and their little ones. ²⁸ Moses said: "By this shall you know that Yahweh has sent me to perform all these deeds, that they are not from my own heart. ²⁹ Should these die the common death of all humanity, and should the visitation of all humanity be visited on them, then Yahweh has not sent me. ³⁰ Yet should Yahweh create an unprecedented creation so that the ground opens wide its mouth, swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they descend alive to the unseen, then you will know that these mortals have spurned Yahweh." ³¹ It came to be as he finished speaking all these words that the ground which was under them was rent, ³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households and all the humans who were with Korah and all the goods. ³³ So they descended, they and all who belonged to them, alive to the unseen; and the earth covered over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴ Yet all Israel who were around them fled at their voice, for they said: "Lest the earth swallow us up." ³⁵ Then fire came forth from Yahweh and devoured the two hundred fifty men who were bringing near the incense. ³⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: ³⁷ "Speak to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest that he should raise up the fire-pans from between the burning place; as for the fire, toss it yonder, for holy are ³⁸ the fire-pans of these sinners against their own souls. And they will make of them stamped foils into an overlay for the altar; for since they brought them near before Yahweh, they shall be holy and shall become as a sign to the sons of Israel." ³⁹ Eleazar the priest took the copper fire-pans which those burned had brought near, and they stamped them into an overlay for the altar, ⁴⁰ a reminder for the sons of Israel so that no alien man who is not of the seed of Aaron might come near to try to fume incense before Yahweh so that he does not become as Korah and his congregation, just as Yahweh had spoken to him by means of Moses. ⁴¹ The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled on the morrow against Moses and against Aaron, saying: "You yourselves put the people of Yahweh to death." ⁴² It came to be, when the congregation assembled against Moses and against Aaron and they turned around toward the tent of appointment, that, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Yahweh appeared. ⁴³ When Moses and Aaron came before the tent of appointment, ⁴⁴ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying: ⁴⁵ "Get away from the midst of this congregation so that I may finish them in a moment." Then they fell on their faces. ⁴⁶ Moses said to Aaron: "Take the fire-pan and put fire from the altar on it and place incense on it and go quickly to the congregation and make a propitiatory shelter over them, for wrath goes forth from before Yahweh! The stroke has started!" ⁴⁷ So Aaron took it, just as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the stroke had started among the people. He put the incense on and made a propitiatory shelter over the people. ⁴⁸ He stood between the dead and the living, and the stroke was restrained. ⁴⁹ Now those dead by the stroke were fourteen thousand seven hundred, aside from those dead over the matter of Korah. ⁵⁰ Then Aaron returned to Moses at the opening of the tent of appointment; as for the stroke, it was restrained.