Numbers 16:21-45

21‘Stand away from these men so that I can kill them.’

22But Moses and Aaron threw themselves on the ground. Their faces were touching the ground. They said, ‘You, our God, are the God who gives life to all people. When one man does a bad thing, will you be angry with all the people? Is that right?’

23The Lord said to Moses,

24‘Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’

25Moses got up from the ground. He went to Dathan and Abiram. The leaders of the Israelites went with him.

26Moses said to all the people, ‘Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch anything that belongs to them. If you do not move away, God may destroy you together with them, because of all their sins.’

27So the people moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram were standing with their wives, babies and children at the doors of their tents.

28Then Moses said to the people, ‘Now you will know that the Lord has chosen me to lead you. He has told me to do this. It was not my own idea. This is how you will know.

29If these men die in a usual way, as all men will die one day, then the Lord did not choose me.

30But if the Lord causes something new to happen to these men, you will know that they have turned against him. For example, a hole might appear in the ground so that these men fall into it. They might fall down into their own graves while they are still alive. If that happens to them and to all that belongs to them, then you will know that the Lord has punished them.’

31When Moses finished speaking, a hole opened in the ground.

32Like a big mouth, it ate those men, their families and everything that belonged to them. The earth covered Korah, all his group and everything that belonged to them.

33They all went down into the deep grave while they were still alive. The ground closed over them and they died, no longer part of God's people.

34When the other Israelites heard those men shout, they ran away quickly. They were saying, ‘Help! The ground might eat us too!’

35Then the Lord sent fire down. It killed the 250 men who were offering the incense to God.

36The Lord said to Moses,

37‘Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he must take the pots with incense out of the burning fire. That is because those pots are holy. Then you must throw away the coal over all the ground round that place.

38Those men died because they did a bad thing. But the pots that they were holding are holy, because they were offering the incense to the Lord. So workers must use hammers to make the pots into thin metal. Then cover the altar with the metal. That will be like a sign to warn the Israelites.’

39So Eleazar took the 250 pots and he used the bronze metal to cover the altar.

40Then the Israelites would remember not to do what Korah and his group did. Only people from the family of Aaron could burn incense on the Lord's altar. God would punish anyone else, like he punished Korah and his men. The Lord had given this command through Moses.

41But on the next day, all the Israelites together complained against Moses and Aaron. They said, ‘You have killed the Lord's people!’

42When the people came together to stand against Moses and Aaron, they turned to look at the Tent of Meeting. The Lord's cloud covered the Tent and his glory appeared.

43Moses and Aaron went to stand at the front of the Tent of Meeting.

44The Lord said to Moses,

45‘Get away from the people so that I can destroy them immediately!’ Moses and Aaron threw themselves down so that their faces touched the ground.