Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s[a] root stock,
a bud will sprout[b] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him[c]—
a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,[d]
a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,[e]
a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.[f]
3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.[g]
He will not judge by mere appearances,[h]
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.[i]
4 He will treat the poor fairly,[j]
and make right decisions[k] for the downtrodden of the earth.[l]
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,[m]
and order the wicked to be executed.[n]
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.[o]
6 A wolf will reside[p] with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,[q]
as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.[r]
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby[s] will play
over the hole of a snake;[t]
over the nest[u] of a serpent
an infant[v] will put his hand.[w]
9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.[x]
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea.[y]
The Judgment on the Rebels
20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 21 “Separate yourselves[a] from among this community,[b] that I may consume them in an instant.” 22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground[c] and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people,[d] will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?”[e]
23 So the Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the community: ‘Get away[f] from around the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’” 25 Then Moses got up[g] and went to Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel went after him. 26 And he said to the community, “Move away from the tents of these wicked[h] men, and do not touch anything they have, lest you be destroyed because[i] of all their sins.”[j] 27 So they got away from the homes of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side, and Dathan and Abiram came out and stationed themselves[k] in the entrances of their tents with their wives, their children, and their toddlers. 28 Then Moses said, “This is how[l] you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.[m] 29 If these men die a natural death,[n] or if they share the fate[o] of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord does something entirely new,[p] and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up[q] along with all that they have, and they[r] go down alive to the grave,[s] then you will know that these men have despised the Lord!”
31 When he had finished[t] speaking[u] all these words, the ground that was under them split open, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with their households, and all Korah’s men, and all their goods. 33 They and all that they had went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed over them. So they perished from among the community. 34 All the Israelites[v] who were around them fled at their cry,[w] for they said, “What if[x] the earth swallows us too?” 35 Then a fire[y] went out from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered incense.
23 They set[a] a day to meet with him,[b] and they came to him where he was staying[c] in even greater numbers.[d] From morning until evening he explained things[e] to them,[f] testifying[g] about the kingdom of God[h] and trying to convince[i] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 Some were convinced[j] by what he said,[k] but others refused[l] to believe. 25 So they began to leave,[m] unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors[n] through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing,[o] but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking,[p] but will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,[q]
and their ears are hard of hearing,[r]
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn,[s] and I would heal them.”’[t]
28 “Therefore be advised[u] that this salvation from God[v] has been sent to the Gentiles;[w] they[x] will listen!”[y]
30 Paul[z] lived[aa] there two whole years in his own rented quarters[ab] and welcomed[ac] all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God[ad] and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ[ae] with complete boldness[af] and without restriction.[ag]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.