Numbers 16:1-18:19
1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, spoke; 2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred fifty men of the children of Israel, rulers of the congregation, chosen members of the council and men of note. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “Let it be understood by you that all the congregation are holy ones, and the Lord is in them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?”
4 So when Moses heard this, he fell on his face; 5 and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, “God examines and knows those who are His and who are His holy ones, and He brings them to Himself; and those He chooses for Himself He brings to Himself. 6 Do this: Take censers, Korah and all his company; 7 put fire and incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man the Lord chooses, this is the holy one; and let this be sufficient for you, O sons of Levi.”
8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear me, you sons of Levi: 9 Is this a small thing to you, that the God of Israel separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you near to Himself, to serve the liturgies of the Lord’s tabernacle and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10 and that He brought you near, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi with you? Are you seeking the priesthood also? 11 Thus you and all your company brought together are against God. Furthermore, who is Aaron, that you murmur against him?” 12 Then Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come up. 13 Is this a small thing, that you brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert, and set yourself over us as a ruler? 14 Even if you should bring us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and give us an inheritance of field and vineyards, you would put out the eyes of these men. We will not come up.”
15 Then Moses was very heavy of spirit and said to the Lord, “May You pay no attention to their sacrifice. I have not taken a desirable object from any of them, nor have I harmed any of them.” 16 Then Moses said to Korah, “Sanctify your company and be ready tomorrow before the Lord, you and they, as well as Aaron. 17 Let each take his censer, put incense in it, and bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the doors of the tabernacle of testimony with Moses and Aaron. 19 Thus Korah gathered all his company against them at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
20 The Lord then spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, and I will utterly destroy them at once.” 22 Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, if one man sinned, will the Lord’s anger be on all the congregation?” 23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Withdraw from around Korah’s company.’ ” 25 Moses then rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel went together with him. 26 Then he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Get away from the tents of these callous men. Touch nothing of theirs, lest you perish together with them in all their sin.” 27 So they got away from around Korah’s tent; and Dathan and Abiram went and stood at the doors of their tents, with their wives, their children, and their little ones. 28 Then Moses said, “By this you shall know the Lord sent me to do all these works, and they are not from myself. 29 If these men should die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common visitation of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But the Lord will show by a sign from heaven that opening its mouth the earth shall swallow them down with their houses, their tents, and everything belonging to them; and they shall go down alive into Hades. Then you shall know these men provoked the Lord.”
31 Now as he finished speaking all these words, the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened and swallowed them down with their houses, and all the men with Korah, and all their tents. 33 So they and all with them went down alive into Hades, and the earth covered them; and they perished from the midst of the congregation. 34 Then all Israel around them fled at their cry, for they were saying, “Lest the earth also swallow us down.” 35 Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred fifty men offering incense.
The Copper Censers
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses 2 and to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, “Take up the copper censers out of the midst of those burned up, and scatter the strange fire there, so as to sanctify 3 the censers of those sinners—even the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives—and make them into beaten plates, as a covering for the altar; so they might be brought before the Lord and sanctified, to become a sign to the children of Israel.” 4 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest took the copper censers which those burned up had brought, and they added these as a covering for the altar, 5 as a memorial to the children of Israel, that no outsider who is not of Aaron’s seed should put incense before the Lord and be like Korah and his insurrection, as the Lord said by the hand of Moses.
6 The next day the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You killed the people of the Lord.” 7 Now it happened, when the congregation regrouped itself against Moses and Aaron, they hastened to the tabernacle of testimony; and the cloud covered it, and the Lord’s glory was seen. 8 Then Moses and Aaron entered the front of the tabernacle of testimony, 9 and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 10 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, and I will utterly destroy them at once.” So they fell on their faces. 11 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put fire in it from the altar, throw incense on it, and carry it quickly to the camp, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord’s face, and is beginning to strike the people.” 12 So Aaron took it as Moses told him, and ran into the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he threw in the incense, and made atonement for the people; 13 and he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague ceased. 14 Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died because of Korah. 15 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of testimony, and the plague ceased.
Aaron’s Rod That Budded
16 After this, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to the children of Israel and get a rod from them, a rod from each of their fathers’ houses, from all their rulers according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 18 You shall also write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi, for there is one rod that shall be given according to the tribe of their fathers’ houses. 19 Then you shall put them in the tabernacle of testimony before the ark of the testimony, where I will be known to you. 20 So it shall be, the man I choose, his rod will blossom; thus I will remove the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against you.”
21 Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their rulers gave him a rod apiece, for each ruler according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and Aaron’s rod was in the midst of their rods. 22 Moses then put the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of testimony. 23 Now it came to pass on the next day, Moses entered the tabernacle of testimony, and behold, Aaron’s rod for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds, and had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 24 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 25 The Lord then said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the testimonies, as a sign to the sons of the disobedient, and let their murmurings cease from before Me, lest they die.” 26 Thus did Moses; as the Lord ordered him, so he did.
27 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we are utterly destroyed, we are ruined, we are consumed. 28 Whoever touches the tabernacle of the Lord dies. Shall we utterly die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites
1 Now the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the sins of the holy things, and you and your sons with you shall bear the sins of your priesthood. 2 You shall also bring your brethren, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, to yourself, and they shall be joined and added to you, and minister liturgically with you and your sons with you before the tabernacle of testimony. 3 They shall perform your guard duties and the duties of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the holy vessels and the altar, lest they die—they and you also. 4 They shall be joined to you and perform the guard duties of the tabernacle of testimony, and all the liturgical services of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 Thus you shall perform the guard duties of the holy things and the altar, so there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 Behold, I took your brethren the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, as a gift given to the Lord, to minister liturgically in the tabernacle of testimony. 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall take care of your priesthood according to all the manner of the altar and within the veil; and you shall minister liturgically as the gift of your priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Offerings to Support the Priests
8 Again the Lord spoke to Aaron, “I give you charge over the firstfruits from all the things sanctified to Me by the children of Israel; and I give these things to you and your sons with you as your share. This shall be an eternal ordinance. 9 So let this be yours from the sanctified holy things of the offerings: from all their gifts, from all their sacrifices, from all their trespass offerings, and from all their sin offerings, and from whatever they return to Me—let all these holy things belong to you and your sons. 10 In a most holy place you shall eat these things; every male shall eat these things. It shall be holy to you.
11 “This also shall be a firstfruit for you from their gifts—from all the deposit offerings of the children of Israel—I give these things to you, and to your sons and daughters with you. This shall be an eternal ordinance. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat these things. 12 The firstfruits of oil, wine, and grain, all their firstfruits, whatever they may offer to the Lord, I give these things to you. 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land which they bring to the Lord shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat these things. 14 Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
15 “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh which they bring to the Lord, from man to cattle, shall be yours; nevertheless, the firstborn of men you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean cattle you shall redeem. 16 Now as for its redemption at the age of one month, the rate is five shekels according to the holy shekel (that is, twenty obols). 17 But the firstborn of young bulls, the firstborn of sheep, or the firstborn of goats you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall pour out their blood towards the altar, and offer their fat as a burnt offering for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 18 Their meat shall also be yours, just as the breast of the deposit offering and the right shoulder are yours. 19 Every choice part of the holy things which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I give to you and your sons and daughters with you as an eternal ordinance; it is an eternal covenant of salt before the Lord with you and your seed with you.”
Psalm 46
1 For the End; a psalm for the sons of Korah.
2 Oh, clap your hands, all you nations;
Shout to God with the voice of rejoicing;
3 For the Lord Most High is fearsome,
A great King over all the earth.
4 He subdued the peoples under us
And the nations under our feet.
5 He chose us for His inheritance,
Jacob’s beauty, which He loved.
(Pause)
6 God ascended with a shout,
The Lord with the sound of the trumpet.
7 Sing praises to God; sing praises;
Sing praises to our King; sing praises;
8 For God is King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
9 God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
10 The rulers of the people gather together
With the God of Abraham,
For God’s mighty ones of the earth are greatly exalted.
Proverbs 9:16–20
16 A woman in need of a morsel is without discernment and overbold;
She has no sense of shame.
17 She sits upon the doors of her own house,
Upon a seat openly in the streets,
18 Calling to those who pass by
And who go straight along their paths,
19 “He who is very lacking in discernment, let him turn aside to me;
And he who is in need of discernment, I exhort, saying,
20 ‘Grasp with pleasure the secret bread
And the sweet water of theft.’ ”
Mark 2
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?
10 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic,
11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Matthew the Tax Collector
13 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.
14 As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting
18 The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”
19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.
21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.
22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:
26 “how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.28 “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”