Numbers 11
The People Grumble
1 Now the people were grumbling evilly before the Lord, and the Lord heard them and was provoked to anger. So the fire of the Lord burned among them and utterly destroyed part of the camp.†
2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord; and the fire was quenched.
3 So he called the name of the place Burning, because fire from the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the mixed multitude among them hungered exceedingly; and sitting down, the children of Israel were also weeping, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?†
5 We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6 but now our soul is dried up; there is nothing before our eyes except this manna.”
7 Now the manna is like coriander seed, and its form is like the form of ice pellets.
8 The people would go about and gather it, and grind it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, then cook it in pots, and make cakes of it; and its flavor was like the taste of a pastry prepared with oil and honey.
9 And when the dew descended on the camp in the night, the manna descended upon it.
Seventy Elders
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their tribes, everyone at his door; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.
11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You maltreated Your servant? Why have I not found grace in Your sight, that You lay the wrath of this people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land You swore to their fathers?
13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14 I am not able to bear this people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
15 If You treat me like this, kill me here and now—if I find mercy in Your sight—and do not let me see my maltreatment.”
16 So the Lord said to Moses, “Gather to Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you yourself know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of testimony, so they may stand there with you.†
17 Then I will descend and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit upon you and put Him upon them; and they shall help you bear the wrath of the people, that you yourself may not bear them alone.†
18 Then you shall say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept before the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat to eat, and you shall eat.
19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20 but for a whole month you shall eat, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you disobeyed the Lord, who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”
21 Then Moses said, “The people I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You are saying, ‘I will give them meat, so they may eat for a whole month.’
22 Shall sheep and oxen be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s hand unable to provide for them? Now you shall know whether or not My word will overtake you.”
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
25 Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit upon him, and put Him upon the seventy men of the elders; and when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, although they never did so again.
26 But two men remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other, Medad, and the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those registered, but had not come to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp.
27 So a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, who was near Moses, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Lord Moses, forbid them.”
29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people might be prophets, when the Lord would put His Spirit upon them.”
30 So Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.
The Quail
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and brought birds from the sea that migrate together with quail, and cast them upon the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
32 Then the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the birds (he who gathered least gathered ten cors); and they spread the meat out to dry for themselves all around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord’s anger was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.
34 So he called the name of that place Graves of Lust, because there they buried the people who lusted.
35 Then the people broke camp to go to Hazeroth, and they camped at Hazeroth.
Psalms 78
1 A psalm for Asaph. †O God, the nations entered Your inheritance; They defiled Your holy temple; They left Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They left the dead bodies of Your servants As food for the birds of heaven, The flesh of Your saints for the wild animals of the earth;
3 Their blood flowed like water around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them.
4 We were made a disgrace to our neighbors, A scorn and a mockery to those around us.
5 How long, O Lord? Will You be angry to the end? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that did not call upon Your name;
7 For they devoured Jacob And made his dwelling place desolate.
8 Do not remember our transgressions of old; Let Your mercies quickly overtake us, For we have become very poor.
9 Help us, O God our savior; Because of the glory of Your name, O Lord, save us, And be merciful to our sins because of Your name;
10 Let the nations never say, “Where is their God?” And let it be known among the nations before our eyes: There is vengeance for the shed blood of Your servants.
11 Let the groaning of those in prison enter before You; According to the greatness of Your arm, Preserve the sons of those who were killed.
12 Repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach by which they reviled You, O Lord.
13 For we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture; We shall give thanks to You freely and openly forever; From generation to generation we will proclaim Your praise.
Proverbs of Solomon 16
26 A perverse man spreads evil things, And a torch of deceit kindles evils and separates friends.
27 A lawless man makes a trial of friends And leads them in ways not good.
28 A man sets his eyes to calculate perverse things And determines every evil thing with his lips; This man is a furnace of wickedness.
29 Old age is a crown of dignity, But it is found in the ways of righteousness.†
30 A patient man is better than a strong man, And he who controls his temper is better than he who captures a city.†
31 All evil things come into the bosoms of the unrighteous, But all righteous things come from the Lord.†
Luke 8
Women Who Served Jesus
1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,
2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,†
3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
Parable of the Sower
4 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:†
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.†
6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ †
11 “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Take Care How You Hear
16 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.
17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.
18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Jesus’ True Kinsmen
19 Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.†
20 And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”
21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Jesus Calms a Storm
22 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out.†
23 But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.
24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”