While the Israelites where camping in the desert country, a man named Korah from the tribe of Levi led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He got together 250 of the Israelite leaders and they told Moses and Aaron, "You have gone too far. All the people belong to the Lord and the Lord is with us. Why do you set yourself above the Lord's people?"
When Moses heard this he threw himself down on the ground and prayed. Then he said to Korah and the men with him, "Tomorrow morning you and your men take fire pans and burn incense in them before the altar. Then we will see whom the Lord has chosen. It is you Levites who have gone too far."
The next day Korah and his men gathered at the tabernacle with their fire pans, and all the Israelite people followed them there. God told Moses, "Tell the people to move away from the tents of Korah and his friends, Dathan and Abiram." So Moses went to the tents of Dathan and Abiram and told the people to move away. They did so, but Dathan, Abiram, and their families still stood beside their tents. Then Moses said, "This is how you will know weather God has sent me. If these people die a natural death, then God did not send me. But if the Ground opens up and swallows them, then you will know that they have disobeyed God." When he finished speaking, the ground opened up and swallowed the men and their families and all their belongings. Then the ground closed up again and all the people ran away. And as for the 250 men who were burning incense in worship to God before the altar, fire came out and burned them all to death. Then God told Moses, "Let this be a warning to the people, that no one who is not a descendant of Aaron should come to the altar to burn incense for the Lord."
The next day the people started complaining against Moses and Aaron. They said, "You have killed some of the Lords people." God has become angry and sent a disease among the people and they started falling down dead. So Moses told Aaron, "Hurry! Take your fire pan and burn incense to God to save the people." So Aaron ran out among the people with his fire pan. He stood between the people who were dead and the people who were alive and burned the incense. Then God quit killing the people.
God told Moses, "Take twelve walking sticks, one from the leader of each tribe, and write each man's name on his stick. And write Aaron's name on his stick as leader of the tribe of Levi, then put the sticks in the tabernacle in front of the Ark of the Covenant. I will make the stick of the man whom I have chosen to grow. "So Moses did what God said. The next day, when Moses went into the tabernacle, he found that Aaron's stick had grown buds, flowers, and even almonds! He took the sticks outside and showed them to the Israelites, each man took back his own stick, but God told Moses, "Put Aaron's stick back in the tabernacle in front of the ark. It is to be kept there as a warning to the Israelites to stop complaining.
