Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16 Korahe son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiramf, sons of Eliab,g and On son of Peleth—became insolenta 2 and rose up against Moses.h With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.i 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaronj and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,k every one of them, and the Lord is with them.l Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”m

4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown.n 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,o and he will have that person come near him.p The man he choosesq he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followersr are to do this: Take censerss 7 and tomorrow put burning coalst and incenseu in them before the Lord. The man the Lord choosesv will be the one who is holy.w You Levites have gone too far!”

8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Isn’t it enoughx 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?y 10 He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too.z 11 It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumblea against him?b”

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram,c the sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come!d 13 Isn’t it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honeye to kill us in the wilderness?f And now you also want to lord it over us!g 14 Moreover, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honeyh or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards.i Do you want to treat these men like slavesb?j No, we will not come!k”

15 Then Moses became very angryl and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkeym from them, nor have I wronged any of them.”