Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 16

You Will Not Abandon Me to the Grave

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A miktam^[a] by David.

You Are My Lord

You Will Not Abandon Me to the Grave

²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. After he had presented the sin offering, the whole burnt offering, and the fellowship offerings, he came down from the altar. ²³ Then Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat pieces on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell on their faces.

The Penalty for Nadab’s and Abihu’s Disobedience

10 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his incense pan, put coals on it, and laid incense on it, and they presented unauthorized fire in the Lord’s presence, which was not according to his command. ² Then fire came out from the Lord’s presence and consumed them. This is how they died in the Lord’s presence.

³ Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord said: ‘I must be treated as holy by those who are near me. I will be glorified in the sight of all the people.’” But Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Then Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come forward and carry your cousins^[a] outside the camp, away from the sanctuary.” ⁵ They came forward and carried them outside the camp by their tunics, just as Moses had ordered.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons: “Do not dishevel your hair and do not tear your garments, so that you will not die, and so that wrath does not come down on the whole congregation. But your relatives,^[b] all the household of Israel, may weep because of the blazing fire that the Lord has ignited. ⁷ You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, because the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” So they did as Moses had ordered.

⁸ The Lord spoke to Aaron: ⁹ “When you enter the Tent of Meeting, you and your sons shall not drink any wine or beer,^[c] so that you will not die. This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations. ¹⁰ You must distinguish between what is holy and what is common, what is unclean and what is clean, ¹¹ and you must teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”

⁵ Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not know this about yourselves: that Jesus Christ is in you—unless perhaps you fail the test? ⁶ But I hope that you will recognize that we are not failing the test.

⁷ We pray to God that you may not do anything evil, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is good, even if we may seem like those who are failing to pass the test. ⁸ To be sure, we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ Yes, we rejoice whenever we are weak and you are strong. And we are praying for your complete restoration. ¹⁰ It is for this reason that I am writing these things while I am still absent, so that, when I am present, I may not have to deal harshly with you, using the authority that the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.