Numbers 25:1-27:11
1 Now Israel remained in Sattin, and the people were defiled by committing fornication with the daughters of Moab. 2 They invited them to the sacrifices of their idols; and the people ate their sacrifices and worshiped their idols. 3 So Israel consecrated themselves to Baal of Peor; and the Lord was very angry with Israel. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the rulers of the people and make a public example of them for the Lord, that the anger of the Lord’s wrath may be turned away from Israel.” 5 So Moses said to the tribes of Israel, “Each one of you kill any member of his household who was consecrated to Baal of Peor.”
6 Now behold, a man of the children of Israel came and brought his brother to a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and all the congregation of the children of Israel; and they were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of testimony. 7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he rose from among the congregation; and taking a spear in his hand, 8 he went after the man of Israel into the chambers and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her womb. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. 9 But those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.
10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, stopped My wrath from among the children of Israel when he was zealous with My zeal among them. So I did not utterly destroy the children of Israel in My zeal. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; 13 and there shall be to him and his seed after him a covenant of an eternal priesthood; because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the children of Israel.’ ” 14 Now the name of the man of Israel who was struck down together with the Midianite woman was Zimri the son of Salu, the ruler of a house of a Simeonite family. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was struck down was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, the ruler of the nation of Ommoth, of the house of a Midianite family.
16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Be at enmity with the Midianites and strike them; 18 for they themselves are at enmity with you in their deceit, inasmuch as they dealt treacherously with you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a ruler of Midian, their sister, who was struck down in the day of the plague because of Peor.”
The Second Census of Israel
1 Now it came to pass after the plague that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all able to go to war in Israel.” 3 So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the Araboth of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, 4 “Take a census from twenty years old and above, in the manner the Lord commanded Moses.” Now the sons of Israel who came out of Egypt were:
5 Reuben the firstborn of Israel. The sons of Reuben were Enoch and the tribe of Enochites; Pallu and the tribe of the Palluites; 6 Hezron and the tribe of the Hezronites; Carmi and the tribe of the Carmiites. 7 These are the tribes of Reuben, and their census was forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty. 8 Now the son of Pallu was Eliab. 9 The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These were the ones chosen by the congregation to form a coalition against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, in their revolt against the Lord; 10 and the earth opening its mouth swallowed them and Korah in the death of his company, when fire devoured two hundred fifty men; and they became a sign. 11 But the sons of Korah did not die.
12 The sons of Simeon and the tribe of the sons of Simeon were: Nemuel and the tribe of the Nemuelites; and Jamin and the tribe of the Jaminites; and Jachin and the tribe of the Jachinites; 13 and Zerah and the tribe of the Zerahites; and Shaul, the tribe of the Shaulites. 14 These are the tribes of the Simeonites, and their census was twenty-two thousand two hundred.
15 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 16 After these, Judah’s sons according to their tribes were Shelah and the tribe of the Shelahites; and Perez and the tribe of the Perezites; and Zerah and the tribe of the Zerahites. 17 Now the sons of Perez were Hezron and the tribe of the Hezronites; and Hamul and the tribe of the Hamulites. 18 These are the tribes of Judah according to their census: seventy-six thousand five hundred.
19 The sons of Issachar according to their tribes were: Tola and the tribe of the Tolaites; and Puah and the tribe of the Puahites; 20 and Jashub and the tribe of the Jashubites; and Shimron and the tribe of the Shimronites. 21 These are the tribes of Issachar from their census: sixty-four thousand three hundred.
22 The sons of Zebulun according to their tribes were: Sered and the tribe of the Seredites; and Elon and the tribe of the Elonites; and Jahleel and the tribe of the Jahleelites. 23 These are the tribes of Zebulun from their census: sixty thousand five hundred.
24 The sons of Gad according to their tribes were Zephon and the tribe of the Zephonites; and Haggi and the tribe of the Haggiites; and Shuni and the tribe of the Shuniites; 25 and Ozni and the tribe of the Ozniites; and Addi and the tribe of the Addiites; 26 and Arod and the tribe of the Arodites; and Areli and the tribe of the Areliites. 27 These are the tribes of the sons of Gad from their census: forty thousand five hundred.
28 The sons of Asher according to their tribes were Jimna and the tribe of the Jimnaites; Jesui and the tribe of the Jesuiites; and Beriah and the tribe of the Beriahites; 29 and Heber and the tribe of the Heberites; and Malchiel and the tribe of the Malchielites. 30 Now the name of Asher’s daughter was Sara. 31 These are the tribes of Asher from their census: fifty-three thousand four hundred.
32 The sons of Joseph according to their tribes were Manasseh and Ephraim. 33 The son of Manasseh was Machir and the tribe of the Machirites; and Machir begot Gilead and by Gilead the tribe of the Gileadites. 34 Now these are the sons of Gilead: Jeezer and the tribe of the Jeezerites; and Helek and the family of the Helekites; 35 and Asriel and the tribe of the Asrielites; and Shechem and the tribe of the Shechemites; 36 and Shemida and the tribe of the Shemidaites; and Hepher and the tribe of the Hepherites. 37 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 38 These are the tribes of Manasseh from their census: fifty-two thousand seven hundred.
39 Now these are the sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah and the tribe of the Shuthelahites; and Tahan and the tribe of the Tahanites. 40 Now these are the sons of Shuthelah: Eran and the tribe of the Eranites. 41 These are the tribes of the of sons of Ephraim from their census: thirty-two thousand five hundred. These tribes are the sons of Joseph according to their tribes.
42 The sons of Benjamin according to their tribes were: Bela and the tribe of the Belaites; and Ashbel and the tribe of the Ashbelites; and Ahiram and the family of the Ahiramites; 43 and Shupham and the tribe of the Shuphamites. 44 Now the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: Ard and the tribe of the Ardites; and Naaman and the tribe of the Naamanites. 45 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their tribes from their census: forty-five thousand six hundred.
46 This is the son of Dan according to his tribe: Shuham and the tribe of the Shuhamites. This is the tribe of Dan according to Shuham’s tribe. 47 The entire tribe of the Shuhamites from their census was sixty-four thousand four hundred.
48 The sons of Naphtali according to their tribes were: Jahzeel and the tribe of the Jahzeelites; and Guni and the tribe of the Guniites; 49 and Jezer and the tribe of the Jezerites; and Shillem and the family of the Shillemites. 50 These are the tribes of Naphtali from their census: forty-five thousand four hundred.
51 This is the census of the sons of Israel: six hundred one thousand seven hundred thirty.
52 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 53 “To these the land shall be divided as an inheritance based on the number of names. 54 To a large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance based on its census. 55 But the land shall be divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56 By allotment their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.”
57 Now the sons of Levi according to their tribes were: Gershon and the tribe of the Gershonites; and Kohath and the tribe of the Kohathites; and Merari and the tribe of the Merariites. 58 These are the tribes of the sons of Levi: the tribe of the Libniites, the tribe of the Hebronites, the tribe of the Korahites, and the tribe of the Mushites. Now Kohath begot Amram. 59 The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. 60 To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the Sinai Desert. 62 Now based on their census they numbered twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above; for a census was not taken of them among the other sons of Israel, because there was no allotment given to them among the sons of Israel.
63 This is the census of Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in Araboth of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. 64 But among these, there was not a man numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they took a census of the sons of Israel in the Sinai Desert. 65 For the Lord said of them, “They shall surely die in the desert.” So there was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
Laws of Inheritance
1 Now came the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph; and these were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 So they stood before Moses, before Eleazar the priest, and before the rulers and all the congregation by the door of the tabernacle of testimony, saying, 3 “Our father died in the desert; but he was not in the company of those who gathered together against the Lord, in company with Korah, but he died in his own sin, and had no sons. 4 Do not let the name of our father be wiped out from among his tribe, because he had no son. Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.” 5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak correctly; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and assign the allotment of their father to them. 8 Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, you shall assign his inheritance to his daughter. 9 But if he has no daughter, you shall give the inheritance to his brother. 10 But if he has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brother. 11 But if his father has no brothers, you shall give his inheritance to the relative closest to him in his tribe; and he shall inherit his possessions.’ ” So this shall be an ordinance of judgment to the children of Israel, as the Lord ordered Moses.
Psalm 49:1–15
1 A psalm for Asaph.
The God of gods, the Lord, spoke, and summoned the earth
From the sun’s rising to its very setting.
2 From Zion in beauty’s splendor,
God will come openly;
3 He is our God, and He shall not be silent;
A fire shall be kindled before Him,
And there shall be a mighty storm round about Him.
4 He shall summon heaven above
And the earth to judge His people;
5 Gather His holy ones to Him,
Who establish His covenant upon sacrifices;
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God is Judge.
(Pause)
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak to you,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God.
8 I will not find fault with your sacrifices,
Because your whole burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 I will not accept a young bull from your house,
Nor he-goats from your flocks.
10 For all the wild animals of the forest are Mine,
The cattle and the oxen in the hills.
11 I know all the birds of heaven,
And the ripe fruit of the field is with Me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of praise,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of affliction,
And I will deliver you; and you shall glorify Me.
(Pause)
Proverbs 10:12–16
12 A fountain of life is in the hand of a righteous man,
But the mouth of an ungodly man will hide destruction.
13 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all who are not lovers of strife.
14 He who brings forth wisdom from his lips
Beats a heartless man with a rod.
15 The wise will hide perception,
But the mouth of a rash man approaches destruction.
16 The acquisition of riches is a fortified city,
But poverty is the destruction of the ungodly.
Mark 4:21–41
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
22 “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
25 “For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
27 “and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
28 “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
29 “But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?
31 “It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;
32 “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”