Numbers 16:12-35

English Standard Version

¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. ¹³ Is it ^(A)a small thing that you have brought us up out of ^(B)a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also ^(C)make yourself a prince over us? ¹⁴ Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.” ¹⁵ And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, ^(D)“Do not respect their offering. ^(E)I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

¹⁶ And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, ^(F)before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. ¹⁷ And ^(G)let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, ^(H)250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” ¹⁸ So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹ Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ^(I)And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

²⁰ And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ^21 (J)“Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them ^(K)in a moment.” ²² And they ^(L)fell on their faces and said, “O God, ^(M)the God of the spirits of all flesh, ^(N)shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” ²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁴ “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

²⁵ Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, ^(O)“Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” ²⁷ So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood ^(P)at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸ And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been ^(Q)of my own accord. ²⁹ If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, ^(R)then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord creates something new, and ^(S)the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they ^(T)go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

^31 (U)And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. ³² And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and ^(V)all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. ³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and ^(W)they perished from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴ And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” ³⁵ And ^(X)fire came out from the Lord and consumed ^(Y)the 250 men offering the incense.