39. So Eleazar the priest gathered all the bronze pans that had been brought by the men who were burned up. He had the pans hammered into flat sheets to put on the altar,
40. as the Lord had commanded him through Moses. These sheets were to remind the Israelites that only descendants of Aaron should burn incense before the Lord. Anyone else would die like Korah and his followers.
41. The next day all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron and said, “You have killed the Lord’s people.”
42. When the people gathered to complain against Moses and Aaron, they turned toward the Meeting Tent, and the cloud covered it. The glory of the Lord appeared.
43. Then Moses and Aaron went in front of the Meeting Tent.
44. The Lord said to Moses,
45. “Move away from these people so I can destroy them quickly.” So Moses and Aaron bowed facedown.
46. Then Moses said to Aaron, “Get your pan, and put fire from the altar and incense in it. Hurry to the people and remove their sin. The Lord is angry with them; the sickness has already started.”
47. So Aaron did as Moses said. He ran to the middle of the people, where the sickness had already started among them. So Aaron offered the incense to remove their sin.
48. He stood between the dead and the living, and the sickness stopped there.
49. But 14,700 people died from that sickness, in addition to those who died because of Korah.
50. Then Aaron went back to Moses at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. The terrible sickness had been stopped.