2nd April

¹ Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and 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 certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:³ And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?⁴ And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:⁵ And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.⁶ This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;⁷ And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.⁸ And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:⁹ Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?¹⁰ And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?¹¹ For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?¹² And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:¹³ Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?¹⁴ Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.¹⁵ And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.¹⁶ And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:¹⁷ And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.¹⁸ And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.¹⁹ And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.²⁰ And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,²¹ Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.²² And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?²³ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,²⁴ Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.²⁵ And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.²⁶ And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of their's, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.²⁷ So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.²⁸ And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.²⁹ If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.³⁰ But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.³¹ And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:³² And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.³³ They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.³⁴ And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.³⁵ And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.³⁶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,³⁷ Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.³⁸ The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.³⁹ And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:⁴⁰ To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.⁴¹ But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.⁴² And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.⁴³ And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.⁴⁴ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,⁴⁵ Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.⁴⁶ And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.⁴⁷ And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.⁴⁹ Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.⁵⁰ And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

¹ Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.² A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.³ A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.⁴ A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.⁵ The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.⁶ The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.⁷ The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.⁸ A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.⁹ He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.¹⁰ A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.¹¹ He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.¹² The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.¹³ The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.¹⁴ A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.¹⁵ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.¹⁶ A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.¹⁷ He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.¹⁸ There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.¹⁹ The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.²¹ There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.²² Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.²³ A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.²⁴ The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.²⁵ Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.²⁶ The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.²⁷ The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.²⁸ In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

¹ Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)² And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:³ Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,⁴ Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:⁵ To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.⁶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.⁹ As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.¹¹ But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.¹² For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.¹³ For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:¹⁴ And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.¹⁵ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,¹⁶ To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:¹⁷ Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.¹⁹ But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.²⁰ Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.²¹ Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;²² And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:²³ But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.²⁴ And they glorified God in me.

¹ Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.² And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.³ But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised:⁴ And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:⁵ To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.⁶ But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:⁷ But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;⁸ (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)⁹ And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.¹⁰ Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.¹¹ But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.¹² For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.¹³ And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.¹⁴ But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?¹⁵ We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.¹⁷ But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.¹⁸ For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.²¹ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.