Numbers 16

Now Qarun Ibn Izhar, Ibn Kohath, Ibn Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On Ibn Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: ²and they rose up before Musa, with certain of Bani-Israel, two hundred fifty princes of the congregation, called to the assembly, men of renown; ³and they assembled themselves together against Musa and against Harun, and said to them, You take too much on you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and Allah is among them: why then lift yourselves up above the assembly of Allah? ⁴When Musa heard it, he fell on his face: ⁵and he spoke to Qarun and to all his company, saying, In the morning Allah will show who are his, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to him: even him whom he shall choose will he cause to come near to him. ⁶This do: take censers, Qarun, and all his company; ⁷and put fire in them, and put incense on them before Allah tomorrow: and it shall be that the man whom Allah does choose, he shall be holy: you take too much on you, you sons of Levi. ⁸Musa said to Qarun, Hear now, you sons of Levi: ⁹seems it but 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 tent of Allah, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; ¹⁰and that he has brought you near, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? Do you seek the priesthood also? ¹¹Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against Allah: and Harun, what is he who you murmur against him? ¹²Musa sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said, We will not come up: ¹³is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but must you also make yourself a prince over us? ¹⁴Moreover 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. ¹⁵Musa was very angry, and said to Allah, "Do not respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them." ¹⁶Musa said to Qarun, You and all your company go before Allah, you, and they, and Harun, tomorrow: ¹⁷and take every man his censer, and put incense on them, and bring you before Allah every man his censer, two hundred fifty censers; you also, and Harun, each his censer. ¹⁸They took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Musa and Harun. ¹⁹Qarun assembled all the congregation against them to the door of the tent of meeting: and the glory of Allah appeared to all the congregation. ²⁰Allah spoke to Musa and to Harun, saying, ²¹Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. ²²They fell on their faces, and said, God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation? ²³Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ²⁴Speak to the congregation, saying, Get away from around the tent of Qarun, Dathan, and Abiram. ²⁵Musa rose up and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶He spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. ²⁷So they got them up from the tent of Qarun, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood at the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸Musa said, Hereby you shall know that Allah has sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of my own mind. ²⁹If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then Allah has not sent me. ³⁰But if Allah make a new thing, and the ground open its mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain to them, and they go down alive into the grave; then you shall understand that these men have despised Allah. ³¹It happened, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground split apart that was under them; ³²and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who appertained to Qarun, and all their goods. ³³So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the grave: and the earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴All Israel that were around them fled at the cry of them; for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up. ³⁵Fire came forth from Allah, and devoured the two hundred fifty men who offered the incense. ³⁶Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ³⁷Speak to Eleazar Ibn Harun the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter you the fire yonder; for they are holy, ³⁸even the censers of these sinners against their own lives; and let them be made beaten plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before Allah; therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to Bani-Israel. ³⁹Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar, ⁴⁰to be a memorial to Bani-Israel, to the end that no stranger, who is not of the seed of Harun, comes near to burn incense before Allah; that he not be as Qarun, and as his company: as Allah spoke to him by Musa. ⁴¹But on the next day all the congregation of Bani-Israel murmured against Musa and against Harun, saying, You have killed the people of Allah. ⁴²It happened, when the congregation was assembled against Musa and against Harun, that they looked toward the tent of meeting: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of Allah appeared. ⁴³Musa and Harun came to the front of the tent of meeting. ⁴⁴Allah spoke to Musa, saying, ⁴⁵Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. They fell on their faces. ⁴⁶Musa said to Harun, Take your censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from Allah; the plague is begun. ⁴⁷Harun took as Musa spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. ⁴⁹Now those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, besides those who died about the matter of Qarun. ⁵⁰Harun returned to Musa to the door of the tent of meeting: and the plague was stayed.