Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Reign of the Davidic King
11 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse,(A)
and a branch(B) from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him(C)—
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge
by what he sees with his eyes,(D)
he will not execute justice
by what he hears with his ears,
4 but he will judge the poor righteously(E)
and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land
with a scepter[a] from his mouth,(F)
and he will kill the wicked(G)
with a command[b] from his lips.(H)
5 Righteousness will be a belt around his hips;(I)
faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.
6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb,(J)
and the leopard will lie down with the goat.
The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together,
and a child will lead them.
7 The cow and the bear will graze,
their young ones will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like cattle.
8 An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,
and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.
9 They will not harm or destroy each other
on my entire holy mountain,
for the land will be as full
of the knowledge of the Lord
as the sea is filled with water.(K)
20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Separate yourselves from this community so I may consume them instantly.”(A)
22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown(B) and said, “God, God who gives breath to all,[a](C) when one man sins, will you vent your wrath on the whole community?” (D)
23 The Lord replied to Moses, 24 “Tell the community: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 He warned the community, “Get away now from the tents of these wicked men. Don’t touch anything that belongs to them,(E) or you will be swept away because of all their sins.”(F) 27 So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents with their wives, children, and infants.
28 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the Lord sent me(G) to do all these things and that it was not of my own will: 29 If these men die naturally as all people would, and suffer the fate of all, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord brings about something unprecedented, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them along with all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol,(H) then you will know that these men have despised the Lord.”
31 Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people,(I) and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly. 34 At their cries, all the people of Israel who were around them fled because they thought, “The earth may swallow us too!” 35 Fire also came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were presenting the incense.(J)
The Response to Paul’s Message
23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.(A) 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.(B)
25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement:[a] “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your[b] ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said,
Go to these people and say:
You will always be listening,
but never understanding;
and you will always be looking,
but never perceiving.
27 For the hearts of these people
have grown callous,
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their heart
and turn,
and I would heal them.[c](C)
28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”[d]
Paul’s Ministry Unhindered
30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God(D) and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness(E) and without hindrance.
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