Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 11
A Reign of Justice and Peace[a]
1 A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch will grow from his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and power,
a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord,
3 and his delight will be the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by outward appearances
or reach a verdict based on hearsay.
4 Rather, he will judge the poor with justice
and render fair decisions for the weak and the poor.
He will strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his waist
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6 Then the wolf will live alongside the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion will browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze side by side;
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat hay like the ox.
8 The infant will play by the cobra’s den,
and the young child will lay his hand
on the viper’s nest.
9 No injury or harm will occur
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord
just as water covers the sea.
20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21 “Move away from this assembly so that I can destroy them at once.” 22 But Moses and Aaron fell down upon their faces and said, “O God, O God of the spirits of all flesh,[a] will you be angry with the whole assembly because of the sin of one person?”
23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the assembly, saying, ‘Draw back from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ”
25 Punishment of Dathan and Abiram. Then Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel. 26 He spoke to the assembly, saying, “Draw back from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything that belongs to them, or else you will be swept away in all their sin.” 27 So they backed away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in the entranceway of their tents along with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. 28 Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord sent me to do all these things, for they are not of my own doing. 29 If these men end up dying a natural death and are visited by every person’s fate, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new and the earth opens up and swallows them and all that belongs to them and they go down alive into Sheol,[b] then you will understand that they have treated the Lord with contempt.”
31 As soon as he finished saying these things, the ground split apart underneath them. 32 The earth opened up its mouth and swallowed them and their households as well as the men who were with Korah and all their possessions. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol and the earth closed over them. They perished from the assembly. 34 All of Israel that had gathered around them fled at their outcry for they said, “The earth might swallow us up too!” 35 Fire came out from the Lord and swallowed up the two hundred and fifty who had offered incense.
23 And so they agreed on a day to meet with him, and they came to his lodgings in great numbers. From early morning until evening, he presented his case to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and attempting to convince them about Jesus as he argued from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he had said, but others refused to believe.
25 Having failed to reach an agreement among themselves, they began to leave. Then Paul made his final statement, “How right the Holy Spirit was when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah, saying,
26 ‘Go to the people and say
You will indeed listen but never understand,
and you will indeed look but never perceive.
27 For this people’s heart has become dull,
their ears have been stopped up,
and they have shut their eyes,
lest their eyes might see,
their ears might hear,
and their hearts might understand.
Then they would be converted,
and I would heal them.’
28 “Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation offered by God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.” [ 29 And when he had said this, the Jews departed, arguing vigorously among themselves.][a]
30 Conclusion—But Not an End.[b] Paul remained there in his lodgings for two full years at his own expense. He welcomed all who came to him, 31 and without hindrance he boldly proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
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