Antiquities of the Jews — Book 4, Chapter 3

1. When Moses had said this, the multitude left off the turbulent
behavior they had indulged, and the suspicion they had of Moses, and
commended what he had said; for those proposals were good, and were so
esteemed of the people. At that time therefore they dissolved the
assembly. But on the next day they came to the congregation, in order to
be present at the sacrifice, and at the determination that was to be
made between the candidates for the priesthood. Now this congregation
proved a turbulent one, and the multitude were in great suspense in
expectation of what was to be done; for some of them would have been
pleased if Moses had been convicted of evil practices, but the wiser
sort desired that they might be delivered from the present disorder and
disturbance; for they were afraid, that if this sedition went on, the
good order of their settlement would rather be destroyed; but the whole
body of the people do naturally delight in clamors against their
governors, and, by changing their opinions upon the harangues of every
speaker, disturb the public tranquillity. And now Moses sent messengers
for Abiram and Dathan, and ordered them to come to the assembly, and
wait there for the holy offices that were to be performed. But they
answered the messenger, that they would not obey his summons; nay, would
not overlook Moses's behavior, who was growing too great for them by
evil practices. Now when Moses heard of this their answer, he desired
the heads of the people to follow him, and he went to the faction of
Dathan, not thinking it any frightful thing at all to go to these
insolent people; so they made no opposition, but went along with him.
But Dathan, and his associates, when they understood that Moses and the
principal of the people were coming to them, came out, with their wives
and children, and stood before their tents, and looked to see what Moses
would do. They had also their servants about them to defend themselves,
in case Moses should use force against them.

2. But he came near, and lifted up his hands to heaven, and cried out
with a loud voice, in order to be heard by the whole multitude, and
said, "O Lord of the creatures that are in the heaven, in the earth, and
in the sea; for thou art the most authentic witness to what I have done,
that it has all been done by thy appointment, and that it was thou that
affordedst us assistance when we attempted any thing, and showedst mercy
on the Hebrews in all their distresses; do thou come now, and hear all
that I say, for no action or thought escapes thy knowledge; so that thou
wilt not disdain to speak what is true, for my vindication, without any
regard to the ungrateful imputations of these men. As for what was done
before I was born, thou knowest best, as not learning them by report,
but seeing them, and being present with them when they were done; but
for what has been done of late, and which these men, although they know
them well enough, unjustly pretend to suspect, be thou my witness. When
I lived a private quiet life, I left those good things which, by my own
diligence, and by thy counsel, I enjoyed with Raguel my father-in-law;
and I gave myself up to this people, and underwent many miseries on
their account. I also bore great labors at first, in order to obtain
liberty for them, and now in order to their preservation; and have
always showed myself ready to assist them in every distress of theirs.
Now, therefore, since I am suspected by those very men whose being is
owing to my labors, come thou, as it is reasonable to hope thou wilt;
thou, I say, who showedst me that fire at mount Sinai, and madest me to
hear its voice, and to see the several wonders which that place afforded
thou who commandedst me to go to Egypt, and declare thy will to this
people; thou who disturbest the happy estate of the Egyptians, and
gavest us the opportunity of flying away from out under them, and madest
the dominion of Pharaoh inferior to my dominion; thou who didst make the
sea dry land for us, when we knew not whither to go, and didst overwhelm
the Egyptians with those destructive waves which had been divided for
us; thou who didst bestow upon us the security of weapons when we were
naked; thou who didst make the fountains that were corrupted to flow, so
as to be fit for drinking, and didst furnish us with water that came out
of the rocks, when we were in want of it; thou who didst preserve our
lives with [quails, which was] food from the sea, when the fruits of the
ground failed us; thou didst send us such food from heaven as had never
been seen before; thou who didst suggest to us the knowledge of thy
laws, and appoint to us a form of government,—come thou, I say, O Lord
of the whole world, and that as such a Judge and a Witness to me as
cannot be bribed, and show how I never admitted of any gift against
justice from any of the Hebrews; and have never condemned a man that
ought to have been acquitted, on account of one that was rich; and have
never attempted to hurt this commonwealth. I am now and am suspected of
a thing the remotest from my intentions, as if I had given the
preisthood to Aaron, not at thy command, but out own favor to him; do
thou at this time demonstrate that all things are administered by thy
providence and that nothing happens by chance, but is governed by thy
will, and thereby attains its end: as also demonstrate that thou takest
care that have done good to the Hebrews; demonstrate this, I say, by the
punishment of Abiram and Dathan, who condemn thee as an insensible
Being, and one overcome by my contrivances. This thou do by inflicting
such an open punishment on these men who so madly fly in the face of thy
glory, as will take them out of the world, not in an manner, but so that
it may appear they do die after the manner of other men: let that ground
which they tread upon open about them and consume them, with their
families and goods. This will be a demonstration of thy power to all and
this method of their sufferings will be an instruction of wisdom for
those that entertain profane sentiments of thee. By this means I shall
be a good servant, in the precepts thou hast given by me. But if the
calumnies they have raised against me be true, mayst thou preserve these
men from every evil accident, and bring all that destruction on me which
I have imprecated upon them. And when thou hast inflicted punishment on
those that have endeavored to deal unjustly with this people, bestow
upon them concord and peace. Save this multitude that follow thy
commandments, and preserve them free from harm, and let them not partake
of the punishment of those that have sinned; for thou knowest thyself it
is not just, that for the wickedness of those men the whole body of the
Israelites should suffer punishment."

3. When Moses had said this, with tears in his eyes, the ground was
moved on a sudden; and the agitation that set it in motion was like that
which the wind produces in waves of the sea. The people were all
affrighted; and the ground that was about their tents sunk down at the
great noise, with a terrible sound, and carried whatsoever was dear to
the seditious into itself, who so entirely perished, that there was not
the least appearance that any man had ever been seen there, the earth
that had opened itself about them, closing again, and becoming entire as
it was before, insomuch that such as saw it afterward did not perceive
that any such accident had happened to it. Thus did these men perish,
and become a demonstration of the power of God. And truly, any one would
lament them, not only on account of this calamity that befell them,
which yet deserves our commiseration, but also because their kindred
were pleased with their sufferings; for they forgot the relation they
bare to them, and at the sight of this sad accident approved of the
judgment given against them; and because they looked upon the people
about Dathan as pestilent men, they thought they perished as such, and
did not grieve for them.

4. And now Moses called for those that contended about the priesthood,
that trial might be made who should be priest, and that he whose
sacrifice God was best pleased with might be ordained to that function.
There attended two hundred and fifty men, who indeed were honored by the
people, not only on account of the power of their ancestors, but also on
account of their own, in which they excelled the others: Aaron also and
Corah came forth, and they all offered incense, in those censers of
theirs which they brought with them, before the tabernacle. Hereupon so
great a fire shone out as no one ever saw in any that is made by the
hand of man, neither in those eruptions out of the earth that are caused
by subterraneous burn-rags, nor in such fires as arise of their own
accord in the woods, when the agitation is caused by the trees rubbing
one against another: but this fire was very bright, and had a terrible
flame, such as is kindled at the command of God; by whose irruption on
them, all the company, and Corah himself, were destroyed, 2 and this so
entirely, that their very bodies left no remains behind them. Aaron
alone was preserved, and not at all hurt by the fire, because it was God
that sent the fire to burn those only who ought to be burned. Hereupon
Moses, after these men were destroyed, was desirous that the memory of
this judgment might be delivered down to posterity, and that future ages
might be acquainted with it; and so he commanded Eleazar, the son of
Aaron, to put their censers near the brazen altar, that they might be a
memorial to posterity of what these men suffered, for supposing that the
power of God might be eluded. And thus Aaron was now no longer esteemed
to have the priesthood by the favor of Moses, but by the public judgment
of God; and thus he and his children peaceably enjoyed that honor
afterward.