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⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant,
   in which you have made me hope.
⁵⁰ This is my comfort in my distress,
   that your promise gives me life.
⁵¹ The arrogant utterly deride me,
   but I do not turn away from your law.
⁵² When I think of your ordinances from of old,
   I take comfort, O Lord.
⁵³ Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked,
   those who forsake your law.
⁵⁴ Your statutes have been my songs
   wherever I make my home.
⁵⁵ I remember your name in the night, O Lord,
   and keep your law.
⁵⁶ This blessing has fallen to me,
   for I have kept your precepts.

⁵⁷ The Lord is my portion;
   I promise to keep your words.
⁵⁸ I implore your favour with all my heart;
   be gracious to me according to your promise.
⁵⁹ When I think of your ways,
   I turn my feet to your decrees;
⁶⁰ I hurry and do not delay
   to keep your commandments.
⁶¹ Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,
   I do not forget your law.
⁶² At midnight I rise to praise you,
   because of your righteous ordinances.
⁶³ I am a companion of all who fear you,
   of those who keep your precepts.
⁶⁴ The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
   teach me your statutes.

⁶⁵ You have dealt well with your servant,
   O Lord, according to your word.
⁶⁶ Teach me good judgement and knowledge,
   for I believe in your commandments.
⁶⁷ Before I was humbled I went astray,
   but now I keep your word.
⁶⁸ You are good and do good;
   teach me your statutes.
⁶⁹ The arrogant smear me with lies,
   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.
⁷⁰ Their hearts are fat and gross,
   but I delight in your law.
⁷¹ It is good for me that I was humbled,
   so that I might learn your statutes.
⁷² The law of your mouth is better to me
   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Revolt of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram

16Now Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, along with Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—descendants of Reuben—took ²two hundred and fifty Israelite men, leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men,^* and they confronted Moses. ³They assembled against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! All the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. So why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?’ ⁴When Moses heard it, he fell on his face. ⁵Then he said to Korah and all his company, ‘In the morning the Lord will make known who is his, and who is holy, and who will be allowed to approach him; the one whom he will choose he will allow to approach him. ⁶Do this: take censers, Korah and all your^* company, ⁷and tomorrow put fire in them, and lay incense on them before the Lord; and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You Levites have gone too far!’ ⁸Then Moses said to Korah, ‘Hear now, you Levites! ⁹Is it too little for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to allow you to approach him in order to perform the duties of the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation and serve them? ¹⁰He has allowed you to approach him, and all your brother Levites with you; yet you seek the priesthood as well! ¹¹Therefore you and all your company have gathered together against the Lord. What is Aaron that you rail against him?’

12 Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab; but they said, ‘We will not come! ¹³Is it too little that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also lord it over us? ¹⁴It is clear you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come!’

15 Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, ‘Pay no attention to their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed any one of them.’ ¹⁶And Moses said to Korah, ‘As for you and all your company, be present tomorrow before the Lord, you and they and Aaron; ¹⁷and let each one of you take his censer, and put incense on it, and each one of you present his censer before the Lord, two hundred and fifty censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.’ ¹⁸So each man took his censer, and they put fire in the censers and laid incense on them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. ¹⁹Then Korah assembled the whole congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole congregation.

20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: ²¹Separate yourselves from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment. ²²They fell on their faces, and said, ‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin and you become angry with the whole congregation?’

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²⁴Say to the congregation: Get away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. ²⁵So Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram; the elders of Israel followed him. ²⁶He said to the congregation, ‘Turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, or you will be swept away for all their sins.’ ²⁷So they got away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrance of their tents, together with their wives, their children, and their little ones. ²⁸And Moses said, ‘This is how you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works; it has not been of my own accord: ²⁹If these people die a natural death, or if a natural fate comes on them, then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up, with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.’

31 As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart. ³²The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households—everyone who belonged to Korah and all their goods. ³³So they with all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol; the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they said, ‘The earth will swallow us too!’ ³⁵And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense.

36 ^*Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ³⁷Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the priest to take the censers out of the blaze; then scatter the fire far and wide. ³⁸For the censers of these sinners have become holy at the cost of their lives. Make them into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they presented them before the Lord and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the Israelites. ³⁹So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers that had been presented by those who were burned; and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar— ⁴⁰a reminder to the Israelites that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, shall approach to offer incense before the Lord, so as not to become like Korah and his company—just as the Lord had said to him through Moses.

41 On the next day, however, the whole congregation of the Israelites rebelled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the Lord.’ ⁴²And when the congregation had assembled against them, Moses and Aaron turned towards the tent of meeting; the cloud had covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. ⁴³Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁴⁵‘Get away from this congregation, so that I may consume them in a moment.’ And they fell on their faces. ⁴⁶Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer, put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.’ ⁴⁷So Aaron took it as Moses had ordered, and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped. ⁴⁹Those who died by the plague were fourteen thousand seven hundred, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. ⁵⁰When the plague was stopped, Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

The Question about David’s Son

35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Messiah^* is the son of David? ³⁶David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared,
“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
   until I put your enemies under your feet.’ ”
³⁷David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?’ And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

Jesus Denounces the Scribes

38 As he taught, he said, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, ³⁹and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! ⁴⁰They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’

The Widow’s Offering

41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

13As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’ ²Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?’ ⁵Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁶Many will come in my name and say, “I am he!”^* and they will lead many astray. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

Persecution Foretold

9 ‘As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. ¹⁰And the good news^* must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹²Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; ¹³and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

⁷³ Your hands have made and fashioned me;
   give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
⁷⁴ Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,
   because I have hoped in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, O Lord, that your judgements are right,
   and that in faithfulness you have humbled me.
⁷⁶ Let your steadfast love become my comfort
   according to your promise to your servant.
⁷⁷ Let your mercy come to me, that I may live;
   for your law is my delight.
⁷⁸ Let the arrogant be put to shame,
   because they have subverted me with guile;
   as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
⁷⁹ Let those who fear you turn to me,
   so that they may know your decrees.
⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless in your statutes,
   so that I may not be put to shame.

⁸¹ My soul languishes for your salvation;
   I hope in your word.
⁸² My eyes fail with watching for your promise;
   I ask, ‘When will you comfort me?’
⁸³ For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
   yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
⁸⁴ How long must your servant endure?
   When will you judge those who persecute me?
⁸⁵ The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me;
   they flout your law.
⁸⁶ All your commandments are enduring;
   I am persecuted without cause; help me!
⁸⁷ They have almost made an end of me on earth;
   but I have not forsaken your precepts.
⁸⁸ In your steadfast love spare my life,
   so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.

Bildad Speaks: God Punishes the Wicked

18Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
² ‘How long will you hunt for words?
   Consider, and then we shall speak.
³ Why are we counted as cattle?
   Why are we stupid in your sight?
⁴ You who tear yourself in your anger—
   shall the earth be forsaken because of you,
   or the rock be removed out of its place?

⁵ ‘Surely the light of the wicked is put out,
   and the flame of their fire does not shine.
⁶ The light is dark in their tent,
   and the lamp above them is put out.
⁷ Their strong steps are shortened,
   and their own schemes throw them down.
⁸ For they are thrust into a net by their own feet,
   and they walk into a pitfall.
⁹ A trap seizes them by the heel;
   a snare lays hold of them.
¹⁰ A rope is hid for them in the ground,
   a trap for them in the path.
¹¹ Terrors frighten them on every side,
   and chase them at their heels.
¹² Their strength is consumed by hunger,^*
   and calamity is ready for their stumbling.
¹³ By disease their skin is consumed,^*
   the firstborn of Death consumes their limbs.
¹⁴ They are torn from the tent in which they trusted,
   and are brought to the king of terrors.
¹⁵ In their tents nothing remains;
   sulphur is scattered upon their habitations.
¹⁶ Their roots dry up beneath,
   and their branches wither above.
¹⁷ Their memory perishes from the earth,
   and they have no name in the street.
¹⁸ They are thrust from light into darkness,
   and driven out of the world.
¹⁹ They have no offspring or descendant among their people,
   and no survivor where they used to live.
²⁰ They of the west are appalled at their fate,
   and horror seizes those of the east.
²¹ Surely such are the dwellings of the ungodly,
   such is the place of those who do not know God.’

15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.^{* 16}Where a will^* is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. ¹⁷For a will^* takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. ¹⁸Hence not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹For when every commandment had been told to all the people by Moses in accordance with the law, he took the blood of calves and goats,^* with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.’ ²¹And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent^* and all the vessels used in worship. ²²Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

Christ’s Sacrifice Takes Away Sin

23 Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. ²⁴For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; ²⁶for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, ²⁸so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.