⁵¹ Whenever the tabernacle^(A) is to move,^(B) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.^(C) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.^(D)

⁵³ The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle^(A) of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall^(B) on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.^(C)”

Korah, Dathan and Abiram

16 Korah^(A) son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram^(B), sons of Eliab,^(C) and On son of Peleth—became insolent^{[a] 2} and rose up against Moses.^(D) With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.^{(E) 3} They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron^(F) and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy,^(G) every one of them, and the Lord is with them.^(H) Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”^(I)

³² and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them^(A) and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. ³³ They went down alive into the realm of the dead,^(B) with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. ³⁴ At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

³⁵ And fire came out from the Lord^(C) and consumed^(D) the 250 men who were offering the incense.

³⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar^(E) son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers^(F) from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— ³⁸ the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.^(G) Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar,^(H) for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign^(I) to the Israelites.”

³⁹ So Eleazar the priest^(J) collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death,^(K) and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, ⁴⁰ as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense^(L) before the Lord,^(M) or he would become like Korah and his followers.^(N)

⁴¹ The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.

⁴² But when the assembly gathered in opposition^(O) to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord^(P) appeared. ⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end^(Q) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

⁴⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer^(R) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly^(S) to make atonement^(T) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;^(U) the plague^(V) has started.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,^(W) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. ⁴⁸ He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.^{(X) 49} But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.^{(Y) 50} Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.^[a]

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 The Lord said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary,^(A) and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. ² Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister^(B) before the tent of the covenant law. ³ They are to be responsible to you^(C) and are to perform all the duties of the tent,^(D) but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die.^{(E) 4} They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.^(F)

⁵ “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,^(G) so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. ⁶ I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,^(H) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.^{(I) 7} But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.^(J) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.^(K) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.^(L)”