Today's Reading

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe of their fathers, you shall send a man, every one a prince among them."

³Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of the Lord: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel.

⁴These were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

⁵Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

⁶Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

⁷Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

⁸Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun.

⁹Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

¹⁰Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

¹¹Of the tribe of Joseph, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

¹²Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

¹³Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

¹⁴Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

¹⁵Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

¹⁶These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.

¹⁷Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way by the Negev, and go up into the hill country:

¹⁸and see the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many;

¹⁹and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;

²⁰and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes."

²¹So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.

²²They went up by the Negev, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

²³They came to the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it on a staff between two. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs.

²⁴That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from there.

²⁵They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.

²⁶They went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, to the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word to them, and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

²⁷They told him, and said, "We came to the land where you sent us; and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is its fruit.

²⁸However the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.

²⁹Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan."

³⁰Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

³¹But the men who went up with him said, "We aren't able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we."

³²They brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people who we saw in it are men of great stature.

³³There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."

¹All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.

²All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would that we had died in this wilderness!

³Why does the Lord bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?"

⁴They said one to another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt."

⁵Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

⁶Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes:

⁷and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, "The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.

⁸If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which flows with milk and honey.

⁹Only do not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them."

¹⁰But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. The glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of Israel.

¹¹The Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have worked among them?

¹²I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

¹³Moses said to the Lord, "Then the Egyptians will hear it; for you brought up this people in your might from among them;

¹⁴and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you Lord are in the midst of this people; for you Lord are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them, and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night.

¹⁵Now if you killed this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,

¹⁶'Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore he has slain them in the wilderness.'

¹⁷Now please let the power of the Lord be great, according as you have spoken, saying,

¹⁸'The Lord is slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and disobedience; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation.'

¹⁹Please pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your loving kindness, and according as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

²⁰The Lord said, "I have pardoned according to your word:

²¹but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord;

²²because all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice;

²³surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it:

²⁴but my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him will I bring into the land into which he went; and his seed shall possess it.

²⁵Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow turn, and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea."

²⁶The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

²⁷"How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

²⁸Tell them, 'As I live, says the Lord, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you:

²⁹your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me,

³⁰surely you shall not come into the land, concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

³¹But your little ones, that you said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected.

³²But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.

³³Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies be consumed in the wilderness.

³⁴After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.'

³⁵I, the Lord, have spoken, surely this will I do to all this evil congregation, who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die."

³⁶The men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land,

³⁷even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the Lord.

³⁸But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.

³⁹Moses told these words to all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.

⁴⁰They rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, "Behold, we are here, and will go up to the place which the Lord has promised: for we have sinned."

⁴¹Moses said, "Why now do you disobey the commandment of the Lord, since it shall not prosper?

⁴²Do not go up, for the Lord isn't among you; that you not be struck down before your enemies.

⁴³For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and you shall fall by the sword: because you are turned back from following the Lord, therefore the Lord will not be with you."

⁴⁴But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, did not depart out of the camp.

⁴⁵Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who lived in that mountain, and struck them and beat them down, even to Hormah.

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you have come into the land of your habitations, which I give to you,

³and will make an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or as a freewill offering, or in your set feasts, to make a pleasant aroma to the Lord, of the herd, or of the flock;

⁴then he who offers his offering shall offer to the Lord a meal offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the fourth part of a hin of oil:

⁵and wine for the drink offering, the fourth part of a hin, you shall prepare with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, for each lamb.

⁶"'Or for a ram, you shall prepare for a meal offering two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mixed with the third part of a hin of oil:

⁷and for the drink offering you shall offer the third part of a hin of wine, of a pleasant aroma to the Lord.

⁸When you prepare a bull for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice, to accomplish a vow, or for peace offerings to the Lord;

⁹then shall he offer with the bull a meal offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil:

¹⁰and you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the Lord.

¹¹Thus shall it be done for each bull, or for each ram, or for each of the male lambs, or of the young goats.

¹²According to the number that you shall prepare, so you shall do to everyone according to their number.

¹³"'All who are native-born shall do these things in this way, in offering an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, or whoever may be among you throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a pleasant aroma to the Lord; as you do, so he shall do.

¹⁵For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner, a statute forever throughout your generations: as you are, so shall the foreigner be before the Lord.

¹⁶One law and one ordinance shall be for you, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner with you.'"

¹⁷The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁸"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'When you come into the land where I bring you,

¹⁹then it shall be that when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall offer up a wave offering to the Lord.

²⁰Of the first of your dough you shall offer up a cake for a wave offering: as the wave offering of the threshing floor, so you shall heave it.

²¹Of the first of your dough you shall give to the Lord a wave offering throughout your generations.

²²"'When you shall err, and not observe all these commandments, which the Lord has spoken to Moses,

²³even all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;

²⁴then it shall be, if it be done unwittingly, without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bull for a burnt offering, for a pleasant aroma to the Lord, with the meal offering of it, and the drink offering of it, according to the ordinance, and one male goat for a sin offering.

²⁵The priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they shall be forgiven; for it was an error, and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their error:

²⁶and all the congregation of the children of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them; for in respect of all the people it was done unwittingly.

²⁷"'If one person sins unwittingly, then he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.

²⁸The priest shall make atonement for the soul who errs, when he sins unwittingly, before the Lord, to make atonement for him; and he shall be forgiven.

²⁹You shall have one law for him who does anything unwittingly, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger who lives as a foreigner among them.

³⁰"'But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, the same blasphemes the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

³¹Because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.'"

³²While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.

³³Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.

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

³⁵The Lord said to Moses, "The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside of the camp."

³⁶All the congregation brought him outside of the camp, and stoned him to death with stones; as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁷The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

³⁸"Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them that they should make themselves fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put on the fringe of each border a cord of blue:

³⁹and it shall be to you for a fringe, that you may look on it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that you not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you use to play the prostitute;

⁴⁰that you may remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.

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

¹When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jacob, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him.

²Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

³They were saying among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"

⁴for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.

⁵Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

⁶He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they put him!

⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.'"

⁸They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.

⁹Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

¹⁰She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

¹¹When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved.

¹²After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country.

¹³They went away and told it to the rest. They did not believe them, either.

¹⁴Afterward he was revealed to the Eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

¹⁵He said to them, "Go into all the world, and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation.

¹⁶He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.

¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages;

¹⁸they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

¹⁹So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁰They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed.

¹ We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us, what work you did in their days, in the days of old.

²You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.

³For they did not get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.

⁴You are my King, God. Command victories for Jacob!

⁵Through you, will we push down our adversaries. Through your name, will we tread them under who rise up against us.

⁶For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.

⁷But you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us.

⁸In God we have made our boast all day long, we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.

⁹But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and do not go out with our armies.

¹⁰You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take spoil for themselves.

¹¹You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us among the nations.

¹²You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.

¹³You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

¹⁴You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

¹⁵All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face,

¹⁶At the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this has come on us, yet have we not forgotten you, Neither have we been false to your covenant.

¹⁸Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

¹⁹Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread forth our hands to a strange god;

²¹won't God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

²²Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Do not reject us forever.

²⁴Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body cleaves to the earth.

²⁶Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness' sake.

¹A wise son listens to his father's instruction, but a scoffer doesn't listen to rebuke.

²By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things; but the unfaithful crave violence.

³He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

⁴The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.

⁵A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace.

⁶Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

⁷There are some who pretend to be rich, yet have nothing. There are some who pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.

⁸The ransom of a man's life is his riches, but the poor hear no threats.

⁹The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

¹⁰Pride only breeds quarrels, but with ones who take advice is wisdom.

¹¹Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.

¹²Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

¹³Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death.

¹⁵Good understanding wins favor; but the way of the unfaithful is hard.

¹⁶Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly.

¹⁷A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy gains healing.

¹⁸Poverty and shame come to him who refuses discipline, but he who heeds correction shall be honored.

¹⁹Longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

²⁰One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

²¹Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.

²²A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.

²³An abundance of food is in poor people's fields, but injustice sweeps it away.

²⁴One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.

²⁵The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.