¹¹ Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;^(A) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;^(B) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.^(C)

¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(A) son of Bezer,^[a] who loved the wages of wickedness.

¹² Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^(A) and murdered his brother.^(B) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^(C)

³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering^(A) to the Lord.^{(B) 4} And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions^(C) from some of the firstborn of his flock.^(D) The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,^{(E) 5} but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?^(F) Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;^(G) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.^(H)”

⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[a] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^(I)

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”^(J)

“I don’t know,^(K)” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.^{(L) 11} Now you are under a curse^(M) and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.^(N) You will be a restless wanderer^(O) on the earth.^(P)”

¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence;^(Q) I will be a restless wanderer on the earth,^(R) and whoever finds me will kill me.”^(S)

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended^(A) as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.^(B) And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.^(C)

⁹ and the sons of Eliab^(A) were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community^(B) officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the Lord.^{(C) 10} The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^(D) along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men.^(E) And they served as a warning sign.^(F)

Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16 Korah^(A) son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram^(B), sons of Eliab,^(C) and On son of Peleth—became insolent^{[a] 2} and rose up against Moses.^(D) With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.^{(E) 3} They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron^(F) and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,^(G) every one of them, and the Lord is with them.^(H) Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”^(I)

⁴ When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.^{(J) 5} Then he said to Korah and all his followers: “In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy,^(K) and he will have that person come near him.^(L) The man he chooses^(M) he will cause to come near him. ⁶ You, Korah, and all your followers^(N) are to do this: Take censers^{(O) 7} and tomorrow put burning coals^(P) and incense^(Q) in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses^(R) will be the one who is holy.^(S) You Levites have gone too far!”

⁸ Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! ⁹ Isn’t it enough^(T) for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them?^{(U) 10} He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.^{(V) 11} It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble^(W) against him?^(X)”

¹² Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram,^(Y) the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!^{(Z) 13} Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey^(AA) to kill us in the wilderness?^(AB) And now you also want to lord it over us!^{(AC) 14} Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey^(AD) or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.^(AE) Do you want to treat these men like slaves^[b]?^(AF) No, we will not come!^(AG)”

¹⁵ Then Moses became very angry^(AH) and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey^(AI) from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”

¹⁶ Moses said to Korah, “You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow—you and they and Aaron.^{(AJ) 17} Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also.^(AK)” ¹⁸ So each of them took his censer,^(AL) put burning coals and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them^(AM) at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord^(AN) appeared to the entire assembly. ²⁰ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹ “Separate yourselves^(AO) from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”^(AP)

²² But Moses and Aaron fell facedown^(AQ) and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things,^(AR) will you be angry with the entire assembly^(AS) when only one man sins?”^(AT)

²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’”

²⁵ Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel^(AU) followed him. ²⁶ He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!^(AV) Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away^(AW) because of all their sins.^(AX)” ²⁷ So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.^(AY) Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children^(AZ) and little ones at the entrances to their tents.^(BA)

²⁸ Then Moses said, “This is how you will know^(BB) that the Lord has sent me^(BC) to do all these things and that it was not my idea: ²⁹ If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me.^{(BD) 30} But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth^(BE) and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead,^(BF) then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.^(BG)”

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart^{(BH) 32} and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^(BI) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the realm of the dead,^(BJ) with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. ³⁴ At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

³⁵ And fire came out from the Lord^(BK) and consumed^(BL) the 250 men who were offering the incense.

²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!^(A) For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,^(B) they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.^(C)