Numbers 16:20–35

²⁰The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ²¹“Move away from these men, and I’ll destroy them in an instant.” ²²Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground and said, “O God, you are the God who gives the breath of life to everyone! If one man sins, will you be angry with the whole community?” 

²³Then the Lord said to Moses, ²⁴“Tell the community: Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” 

²⁵Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the leaders of Israel followed him. ²⁶He said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them, or you’ll be swept away because of all their sins.” ²⁷So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children. 

²⁸Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me to do all these things and that it wasn’t my idea: ²⁹If these men die like all other people—if they die a natural death—then the Lord hasn’t sent me. ³⁰But if the Lord does something totally new—if the ground opens up, swallows them and everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive to their graves—then you’ll know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.” 

³¹As soon as he had finished saying all this, the ground under them split, ³²and the earth opened up to swallow them, their families, the followers of Korah, and all their property. ³³They went down alive to their graves with everything that belonged to them. The ground covered them, and so they disappeared from the assembly. ³⁴All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their screams. They thought the ground would swallow them, too. 

³⁵Fire came from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense.^b