Numbers 16:17-40

17Each of you take his firepan and put incense on 1it, and each of you bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty firepans; also you and Aaron shall each bring his firepan.” 18So they each took his own censer and put fire on 2it, and laid incense on 3it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting, with Moses and Aaron. 19Thus Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the doorway of the tent of meeting. And 4the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

20Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21“5Separate yourselves from among this congregation, 6that I may consume them instantly.” 22But they fell on their faces and said, “O God, 7God of the spirits of all flesh, 8when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

23Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24“Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘9Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

25Then Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram, with the elders of Israel following him, 26and he spoke to the congregation, saying, “10Depart now from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing that belongs to them, 11or you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27So 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 12their sons and their little ones. 28Moses said, “By this you shall know that 13the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not 14my doing. 29If these men die 15the death of all men or 16if they suffer the 17fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30But 18if the Lord 19brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they 20descend alive into 21Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord.”

31As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; 32and 22the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and 23all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. 33So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to 24Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34All Israel who were around them fled at their 25outcry, for they said, “The earth may swallow us up!” 3526Fire also came forth from the Lord and consumed the 27two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense.

3628Then the Lord 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 29blaze, for they are holy; and you scatter the 30burning coals abroad. 38As for the censers of these 31men 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 Lord and they are holy; and 32they shall be for a sign to the sons of Israel.” 39So 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, 40as a 33reminder to the sons of Israel that 34no 35layman who is not of the 36descendants of Aaron should come near 37to burn incense before the Lord; so that he will not become like Korah and his company--just as the Lord had spoken to him 38through Moses.