The Rebellion of Korah

After the decree of forty years, despair in the camp found a leader. Korah, a Levite and cousin of Moses, wealthy and respected, came forward with an unanswerable-sounding charge: you take too much — the whole congregation is holy and God is among them, so why do you raise yourselves above the assembly? Dathan and Abiram of Reuben joined him, along with two hundred and fifty leaders of the community, men of renown. Moses fell on his face and proposed a test with pans of incense; he also tried to negotiate, sending for Dathan and Abiram, who answered, we will not come up. The next morning it ended quickly and terribly: the earth opened beneath the tents of the ringleaders and swallowed them, and the two hundred and fifty were consumed by fire. When the people then blamed Moses, a plague broke out and Aaron stopped it by standing with incense between the dead and the living. Aaron's staff blossomed overnight and bore almonds.