King James Version, Updated™

(1) Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;

(2) They rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, 250 leaders of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.

(3) They gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, "YOU take too much upon yourselves, since all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; Why then do you lift up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"

(4) When Moses heard it, he fell on his face.

(5) He spoke to Korah and to all his company, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will show who is his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him; he whom he has chosen will he cause to come near to him.

(6) Do this; Take censers, Korah, and all his company;

(7) Put fire in them, and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses, he shall be holy; YOU have taken too much upon yourselves, YOU sons of Levi."

(8) Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, YOU sons of Levi;

(9) Does it seem a small thing to YOU, that the God of Israel has separated YOU from the congregation of Israel, to bring YOU near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them?

(10) He has brought you near him, and all your brethren the sons of Levi with you; and do YOU seek the priesthood also?

(11) For which cause are both you and all your company gathered together against the LORD? What is Aaron, that YOU murmur against him?"

(12) Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and they said, "We will not come up;

(13) Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land that flows with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you make yourself altogether a prince over us?

(14) Moreover you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up."

(15) Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering; I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."

(16) Moses said to Korah, "You and all your company be present before the LORD tomorrow, you, and they, and Aaron;

(17) Every man take his censer, and put incense in them, and every man bring before the LORD his censer, 250 censers; also you, and Aaron, each of YOU bring his censer."

(18) So every man took his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense on it, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

(19) And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation.

(20) The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

(21) "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment."

(22) They fell on their faces, and said, "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?"

(23) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

(24) "Speak to the congregation, saying, 'Get away from around the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.' "

(25) Then Moses rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.

(26) He spoke to the congregation, saying, "Please, depart from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest YOU be consumed in all their sins."

(27) So they got away from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side; and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

(28) And Moses said, "Hereby YOU shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of mine own will.

(29) If these men die of natural causes as all men, or if they are visited after the visitation of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.

(30) But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth, and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then YOU shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD."

(31) And it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split open under them,

(32) and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that belonged to Korah, and all their goods.

(33) They, and all who belonged to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the congregation.

(34) All Israel who were around them fled at their cry; for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up also."

(35) And a fire came out from the LORD, and consumed the 250 men who offered incense.

(36) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

(37) "Speak to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the fire, for they are holy; and scatter the fire far away.

(38) The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them into hammered plates for a covering of the altar; since they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are holy, and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel."

(39) So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, with which those who were burned had offered; and they were made into hammered plates for a covering of the altar,

(40) to be a memorial to the children of Israel, so that no stranger, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; so that he is not dealt with as Korah, and as his company; as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

(41) But on the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, "YOU have killed the people of the LORD."

(42) It came to pass, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation; and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

(43) Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

(44) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

(45) "Get up and away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces.

(46) Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer, and put fire in it from off the altar, and put incense on it, and go quickly to the congregation, and make an atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun."

(47) As Moses commanded, Aaron took and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague had already begun among the people; so he put on the incense, and made an atonement for the people.

(48) Then he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped.

(49) Now those that died in the plague were 14,700, beside those that died because of the matter with Korah.

(50) Then Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, for the plague was stopped.