33. They went down alive to their graves with everything that belonged to them. The ground covered them, and so they disappeared from the assembly.
34. All the Israelites around them ran away when they heard their screams. They thought the ground would swallow them, too.
35. Fire came from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering incense.
36. Then the Lord said to Moses,
37. “Tell Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, to take the incense burners out of the fire and scatter the coals and incense somewhere else, because the incense burners have become holy.
38. The incense burners of these men who sinned and lost their lives are holy, because they were offered to the Lord. Hammer them into thin metal sheets to cover the altar. This will be a sign to the Israelites.”