Matthew 20:17-34; Numbers 15; Numbers 16; Ecclesiastes 9:13-18; Ecclesiastes 10

Matthew 20:17-34

17 While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the 12 disciples aside privately and said to them on the way:

18 "Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death.

19 Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and He will be resurrected on the third day."

20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons approached Him with her sons. She knelt down to ask Him for something.

21 "What do you want?" He asked her. "Promise," she said to Him, "that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and the other on Your left, in Your kingdom."

22 But Jesus answered, "You don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" "We are able," they said to Him.

23 He told them, "You will indeed drink My cup. But to sit at My right and left is not Mine to give; instead, it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

24 When the 10 [disciples] heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers.

25 But Jesus called them over and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and the men of high position exercise power over them.

26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life-a ransom for many."

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

31 The crowd told them to keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"

33 "Lord," they said to Him, "open our eyes!"

34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed Him.

Numbers 15

1 The Lord instructed Moses:

2 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you to settle in,

3 and you make a fire offering to the Lord from the herd or flock-either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering, or at your appointed festivals-to produce a pleasing aroma for the Lord,

4 the one presenting his offering to the Lord must also present a grain offering of two quarts of fine flour mixed with a quart of oil.

5 Prepare a quart of wine as a drink offering with the burnt offering or sacrifice of each lamb.

6 "If you prepare a grain offering with a ram, it must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with a third of a gallon of oil.

7 Also present a third of a gallon of wine for a drink offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

8 "If you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering or as a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow, or as a fellowship offering to the Lord,

9 a grain offering of six quarts of fine flour mixed with two quarts of oil must be presented with the bull.

10 Also present two quarts of wine as a drink offering. It is a fire offering of pleasing aroma to the Lord.

11 This is to be done for each ox, ram, lamb, or goat.

12 This is how you must prepare each of them, no matter how many.

13 "Every Israelite is to prepare these things in this way when he presents a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

14 When a foreigner resides with you or someone else is among you and wants to prepare a fire offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, he is to do exactly as you do throughout your generations.

15 The assembly is to have the same statute for both you and the foreign resident as a permanent statute throughout your generations. You and the foreigner will be alike before the Lord.

16 The same law and the same ordinance will apply to both you and the foreigner who resides with you."

17 The Lord instructed Moses:

18 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: After you enter the land where I am bringing you,

19 you are to offer a contribution to the Lord when you eat from the food of the land.

20 You are to offer a loaf from your first batch of dough as a contribution; offer it just like a contribution from the threshing floor.

21 Throughout your generations, you are to give the Lord a contribution from the first batch of your dough.

22 "When you sin unintentionally and do not obey all these commands that the Lord spoke to Moses-

23 all that the Lord has commanded you through Moses, from the day the Lord issued the commands and onward throughout your generations-

24 and if it was done unintentionally without the community's awareness, the entire community is to prepare one young bull for a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and drink offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin offering.

25 The priest must then make atonement for the entire Israelite community so that they may be forgiven, for the sin was unintentional. They are to bring their offering, one made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their unintentional sin.

26 The entire Israelite community and the foreigner who resides among them will be forgiven, since it happened to all the people unintentionally.

27 "If one person sins unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin offering.

28 The priest must then make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the person who acts in error sinning unintentionally, and when he makes atonement for him, he will be forgiven.

29 You are to have the same law for the person who acts in error, whether he is an Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you.

30 "But the person who acts defiantly, whether native or foreign resident, blasphemes the Lord. That person is to be cut off from his people.

31 He will certainly be cut off, because he has despised the Lord's word and broken His command; his guilt remains on him."

32 While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day.

33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the entire community.

34 They placed him in custody, because it had not been decided what should be done to him.

35 Then the Lord told Moses, "The man is to be put to death. The entire community is to stone him outside the camp."

36 So the entire community brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

37 The Lord said to Moses,

38 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at [each] corner.

39 These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord's commands and obey them and not become unfaithful by following your own heart and your own eyes.

40 This way you will remember and obey all My commands and be holy to your God.

41 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord your God."

Numbers 16

1 Now Korah son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took

2 250 prominent Israelite men who were leaders of the community and representatives in the assembly, and they rebelled against Moses.

3 They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, "You have gone too far! Everyone in the entire community is holy, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"

4 When Moses heard [this], he fell facedown.

5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers, "Tomorrow morning the Lord will reveal who belongs to Him, who is set apart, and [the one] He will let come near Him. He will let the one He chooses come near Him.

6 Korah, you and all your followers are to do this: take firepans, and tomorrow

7 place fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord. Then the man the Lord chooses will be the one who is set apart. It is you Levites who have gone too far!"

8 Moses also told Korah, "Now listen, Levites!

9 Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to Himself, to perform the work at the Lord's tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them?

10 He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are seeking the priesthood as well.

11 Therefore, it is you and all your followers who have conspired against the Lord! As for Aaron, who is he that you should complain about him?"

12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come!

13 Is it not enough that you brought us up from a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Do you also have to appoint yourself as ruler over us?

14 Furthermore, you didn't bring us to a land flowing with milk and honey or give us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? We will not come!"

15 Then Moses became angry and said to the Lord, "Don't respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them."

16 So Moses told Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow-you, they, and Aaron.

17 Each of you is to take his firepan, place incense on it, and present his firepan before the Lord-250 firepans. You and Aaron [are] each [to present] your firepan also."

18 Each man took his firepan, placed fire in it, put incense on it, and stood at the entrance to the tent of meeting along with Moses and Aaron.

19 After Korah assembled the whole community against them at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community.

20 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron,

21 "Separate yourselves from this community so I may consume them instantly."

22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, "God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will you vent Your wrath on the whole community?"

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, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."

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 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, 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, 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.

36 Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

37 "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to remove the firepans from the burning debris, because they are holy, and scatter the fire far away.

38 As for the firepans of those who sinned at the cost of their own lives, make them into hammered sheets as plating for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord, and the firepans are holy. They will be a sign to the Israelites."

39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze firepans that those who were burned had presented, and they were hammered into plating for the altar,

40 just as the Lord commanded him through Moses. It was to be a reminder for the Israelites that no unauthorized person outside the lineage of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the Lord and become like Korah and his followers.

41 The next day the entire Israelite community complained about Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the Lord's people!"

42 When the community assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the tent of meeting, and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the Lord's glory appeared.

43 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting,

44 and the Lord said to Moses,

45 "Get away from this community so that I may consume them instantly." But they fell facedown.

46 Then Moses told Aaron, "Take your firepan, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the community and make atonement for them, because wrath has come from the Lord; the plague has begun."

47 So Aaron took his firepan as Moses had ordered, ran into the middle of the assembly, and saw that the plague had begun among the people. After he added incense, he made atonement for the people.

48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was halted.

49 But those who died from the plague numbered 14,700, in addition to those who died because of the Korah incident.

50 Aaron then returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, since the plague had been halted.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

13 I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me:

14 There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it.

15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

16 And I said, "Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded."

17 The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.

Ecclesiastes 10

1 Dead flies make a perfumer's oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2 A wise man's heart [goes] to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.

3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool.

4 If the ruler's anger rises against you, don't leave your place, for calmness puts great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler:

6 The fool is appointed to great heights, but the rich remain in lowly positions.

7 I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves.

8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.

10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.

11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

12 The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, but the end of his speaking is evil madness.

14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what will happen, and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?

15 The struggles of fools weary them, for they don't know how to go to the city.

16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a household servant, and your princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time- for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry the message, and a winged creature may report the matter.