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.
Chapter 16
Korah’s Rebellion. 1 Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and some Reubenites, Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth took action 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were some of the people of Israel, two hundred fifty leaders of the assembly, well known in the assembly and men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole assembly is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is in their midst. Why, then, do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”[a]
4 When Moses heard this he fell on his face 5 and he spoke to Korah and his company, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will reveal who belongs to him and who is holy when he allows him to approach him. He will allow the one whom he has chosen to approach him. 6 Do this: you and Korah and all his followers are to take censers 7 before the Lord tomorrow and put fire and incense in them. The man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, you Levites!”
8 Then Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you Levites, 9 is it not enough that the God of Israel has set you apart from the assembly of Israel to bring you onto himself, to minister in the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the assembly serving them? 10 He has brought you and all your brethren, the Levites, onto himself, and still you seek the priesthood too? 11 For this you and all your company have gathered together against the Lord. Who is Aaron that you should complain about him?”
12 Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram. Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. They responded, “We will not come up! 13 Is it not enough that you brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? Now you are going to make yourself a prince over us? 14 Indeed, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor have you given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Are you going to gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come up!”
15 Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not accept their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any of them.” 16 Then Moses said to Korah, “You and your company are to appear before the Lord tomorrow, you, and them, and Aaron. 17 Each of you is to bring your censer and put incense in it. Each of you is to bring his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers. You and Aaron will also each bring a censer.” 18 [b]So each took his own censer, put fire and incense in them, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron. 19 The whole assembly gathered against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole assembly.
Let Us Seek the City That Is To Come.[a] 7 Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Keep in mind the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not be led astray by all kinds of strange doctrines. It is good for us to have our hearts strengthened by grace, and not by ceremonial foods, which have not benefited those who partake of them.
10 We have an altar[b] from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.[c] 12 Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.[d]
13 Let us then go to him outside the camp[e] and bear the abuse he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we are seeking the one that is to come. 15 Through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise,[f] that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
16 [g]Do not neglect to do good works and to share with others what you have, for these are the kind of sacrifices that please God. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls and will have to render an account in that regard. Make this a joy for them to do rather than a grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
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