32. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with all their households, all of Korah’s people and all their possessions.
33. They went down alive into Sheol, they and everything that was theirs. The earth closed over them and they were gone from among the community.
34. All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they shouted, “Perhaps the earth will swallow us!”
35. Fire also came out from Adonai and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.
36. Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
37. “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen, to take the censers from the burning, because they are holy, and scatter the coals at a distance.
38. As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be taken and hammered into sheets as a covering for the altar. For they were presented before Adonai, so they are holy. They are to be a sign to Bnei-Yisrael.”
39. So Eleazar the kohen collected the bronze censers brought by the ones who were burned and hammered them into an overlay for the altar,
40. just as Adonai had spoken to him by Moses’ hand, so that it would be as a reminder to Bnei-Yisrael that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron should burn incense before Adonai, and so no one would become like Korah and his following.
41. The next day, the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You killed Adonai’s people!”
42. But when they gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, behold, the cloud covered it and the glory appeared!
43. Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
44. Adonai spoke to Moses saying,
45. “Get away from among this assembly so that I may immediately consume them!” So they fell on their faces.
46. Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put into it fire from the altar and put in incense. Get going and hurry to the assembly and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from Adonai and the plague has started.”
47. Aaron did just as Moses had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. Behold, the plague had already started among the people. But he offered the incense and made atonement for the people.
48. He stood between the dead and the living and the plague stopped.
49. However, there were 14,700 dead from the plague, besides those who died because of Korah.