Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory

A ^(A)Michtam of David.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, ^(A)blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. ²³ And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, ²⁴ and ^(B)fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they ^(C)shouted and fell on their ^(D)faces.

The Profane Fire of Nadab and Abihu

10 Then ^(E)Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, ^(F)each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered ^(G)profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. ² So ^(H)fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. ³ And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:

So Aaron held his peace.

⁴ Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near, ^(J)carry your brethren from ^[a]before the sanctuary out of the camp.” ⁵ So they went near and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had said.

⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not ^[b]uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and ^(K)wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, ^[c]bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled. ^7 (L)You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, ^(M)for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Conduct Prescribed for Priests

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: ^9 (N)“Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, ¹⁰ that you may ^(O)distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, ^11 (P)and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, ^(A)that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you ^[a]are ^(B)disqualified. ⁶ But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Paul Prefers Gentleness

⁷ Now ^[b]I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though ^(C)we may seem disqualified. ⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. ⁹ For we are glad ^(D)when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, ^(E)that you may be made complete. ^10 (F)Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the ^(G)authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.