Daily Bread

¹⁵ Then Moses became very angry^(A) and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey^(B) 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.^{(C) 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.^(D)” ¹⁸ So each of them took his censer,^(E) 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^(F) at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord^(G) appeared to the entire assembly. ²⁰ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹ “Separate yourselves^(H) from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once.”^(I)

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

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^(N) followed him. ²⁶ He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men!^(O) Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away^(P) because of all their sins.^(Q)” ²⁷ So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.^(R) Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children^(S) and little ones at the entrances to their tents.^(T)

²⁸ Then Moses said, “This is how you will know^(U) that the Lord has sent me^(V) 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.^{(W) 30} But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth^(X) and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead,^(Y) then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.^(Z)”

³¹ As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart^{(AA) 32} and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^(AB) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the realm of the dead,^(AC) 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^(AD) and consumed^(AE) the 250 men who were offering the incense.