Tuesday, 30 April

1.   Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men ; 2.   and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3.   They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, " You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" 4.   So when Moses heard it , he fell on his face; 5.   and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, "Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him. 6.   "Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; 7.   "put fire in them and put incense in them before the LORD tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the LORD chooses is the holy one. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!" 8.   Then Moses said to Korah, "Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9.   " Is it a small thing to you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; 10.   "and that He has brought you near to Himself , you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? 11.   "Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain against him?" 12.   And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, but they said, "We will not come up! 13.   " Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? 14.   "Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up!" 15.   Then Moses was very angry, and said to the LORD, "Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, nor have I hurt one of them." 16.   And Moses said to Korah, "Tomorrow, you and all your company be present before the LORD––you and they, as well as Aaron. 17.   "Let each take his censer and put incense in it, and each of you bring his censer before the LORD, two hundred and fifty censers; both you and Aaron, each with his censer." 18.   So every man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19.   And Korah gathered all the congregation against them at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. 20.   And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 21.   "Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." 22.   Then they fell on their faces, and said, "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?" 23.   So the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24.   "Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’" 25.   Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26.   And he spoke to the congregation, saying, "Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins." 27.   So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children. 28.   And Moses said: "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29.   "If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. 30.   "But if the LORD creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the LORD." 31.   Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32.   and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33.   So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. 34.   Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, "Lest the earth swallow us up also !" 35.   And a fire came out from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense. 36.   Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 37.   "Tell Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, to pick up the censers out of the blaze, for they are holy, and scatter the fire some distance away. 38.   "The censers of these men who sinned against their own souls, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar. Because they presented them before the LORD, therefore they are holy; and they shall be a sign to the children of Israel." 39.   So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned up had presented, and they were hammered out as a covering on the altar, 40.   to be a memorial to the children of Israel that no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the LORD, that he might not become like Korah and his companions, just as the LORD had said to him through Moses. 41.   On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You have killed the people of the LORD." 42.   Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43.   Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting. 44.   And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45.   "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment." And they fell on their faces. 46.   So Moses said to Aaron, "Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it , and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the LORD. The plague has begun." 47.   Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48.   And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. 49.   Now those who died in the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the Korah incident. 50.   So Aaron returned to Moses at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, for the plague had stopped.

1.   <> Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, 2.   Who plan evil things in their hearts; They continually gather together for war. 3.   They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah 4.   Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men, Who have purposed to make my steps stumble. 5.   The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set traps for me. Selah 6.   I said to the LORD: "You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. 7.   O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. 8.   Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not further his wicked scheme, Lest they be exalted. Selah 9.   " As for the head of those who surround me, Let the evil of their lips cover them; 10.   Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11.   Let not a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him ." 12.   I know that the LORD will maintain The cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. 13.   Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

1.   <> LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. 0.   2Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3.   Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. 4.   Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. 5.   Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. 6.   Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet. 7.   Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, As when one plows and breaks up the earth. 8.   But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. 9.   Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity. 10.   Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.

1.   <> I cry out to the LORD with my voice; With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. 0.   2I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. 3.   When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. 4.   Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul. 5.   I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6.   Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. 7.   Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me."

17.   But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches. 18.   Was anyone called while circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Let him not be circumcised. 19.   Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters . 20.   Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. 21.   Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it . 22.   For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. 23.   You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24.   Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called. 25.   Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy. 26.   I suppose therefore that this is good because of the present distress––that it is good for a man to remain as he is: 27.   Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28.   But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Nevertheless such will have trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you. 29.   But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30.   those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31.   and those who use this world as not misusing it . For the form of this world is passing away. 32.   But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord––how he may please the Lord. 33.   But he who is married cares about the things of the world––how he may please his wife. 34.   There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world––how she may please her husband. 35.   And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction. 36.   But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry. 37.   Nevertheless he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own will, and has so determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, does well. 38.   So then he who gives her in marriage does well, but he who does not give her in marriage does better. 39.   A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40.   But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment––and I think I also have the Spirit of God.