M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Parashat Korach
Rebellion of Korah
16 Now Korah, son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi, and sons of Reuben—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth— 2 rose up against Moses and took 250 men from Bnei-Yisrael, men of renown who had been appointed to the council. 3 They assembled against Moses and Aaron. They said to them, “You’ve gone too far! All the community is holy—all of them—and Adonai is with them! Then why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of Adonai?”
4 When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.
5 Then he said to Korah and all his following saying, “In the morning Adonai will reveal who is His and who is holy. The one whom He will let come near to Him will be the one He chooses to come near to Him. 6 Do this, Korah and your whole following! Take for yourselves censers. 7 Put fire and incense into them in the presence of Adonai. Tomorrow the man that Adonai chooses will be the holy one! You sons of Levi are the ones who have gone too far!”
8 Moses also said to Korah, “Listen now, sons of Levi! 9 Isn’t it enough that the God of Israel has set you apart from the community of Israel to bring you near to Him to do the work of the Tabernacle of Adonai and to stand before the community to minister to them? 10 So He brought you close, along with all your fellow sons of Levi. But you are seeking the priesthood, too! 11 Therefore you and all your following are banding together against Adonai! Who then is Aaron—that you are grumbling against him?”
12 Then Moses sent word to call Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab. But they said, “We will not come! 13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us from a land flowing with milk and honey, only to kill us in the wilderness? And now you would lord it over us? 14 What’s more, you haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Would you now gouge out the eyes of those men? We won’t come!”
15 Then Moses became very angry and said to Adonai, “Do not accept their offering. I haven’t taken from them a single donkey, nor have I wronged one of them!”
16 So Moses said to Korah, “You and your whole following are to appear before Adonai—you, they and Aaron—tomorrow! 17 Each man will take his censer and you are to put incense into them—250 censers total. You are to present it before Adonai, you and Aaron each presenting his censer.”
18 So each man took his censer, put fire and incense into it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. 19 When Korah and all his following had assembled in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, then the glory of Adonai appeared to the entire assembly.
20 Then Adonai spoke to Moses and Aaron saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this assembly, so that I may consume them at once!”
22 But they fell on their faces and cried out, “O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, if one man sins, will you be angry with the entire community?”
23 Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 24 “Speak to the assembly saying, ‘Move away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram!’”
25 Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram. The elders of Israel followed after him. 26 He warned the assembly saying, “Move away from the tents of these wicked men! Don’t touch anything that is theirs, or you will be swept away because of all their sins!”
27 So they moved away from near the dwelling of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram came outside and were standing at the entrance of their tents with their wives, their children, and their little ones.
28 Moses said, “By this you will know that Adonai has sent me to do all these works, that they are not from my own heart. 29 If every one of these men die a common death and experience what happens to all people, then Adonai has not sent me. 30 But if Adonai brings about a new thing, and the earth opens her mouth and swallows them and everything that is theirs, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have despised Adonai.”
31 As soon as he finished saying all these things, the ground split under them. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, along with all their households, all of Korah’s people and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into Sheol, they and everything that was theirs. The earth closed over them and they were gone from among the community.
34 All Israel around them fled at their outcry, for they shouted, “Perhaps the earth will swallow us!”
35 Fire also came out from Adonai and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.
36 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the kohen, to take the censers from the burning, because they are holy, and scatter the coals at a distance. 38 As for the censers of these men who sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be taken and hammered into sheets as a covering for the altar. For they were presented before Adonai, so they are holy. They are to be a sign to Bnei-Yisrael.”
39 So Eleazar the kohen collected the bronze censers brought by the ones who were burned and hammered them into an overlay for the altar, 40 just as Adonai had spoken to him by Moses’ hand, so that it would be as a reminder to Bnei-Yisrael that no one who was not a descendant of Aaron should burn incense before Adonai, and so no one would become like Korah and his following.
41 The next day, the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You killed Adonai’s people!”
42 But when they gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, behold, the cloud covered it and the glory appeared! 43 Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting.
44 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 45 “Get away from among this assembly so that I may immediately consume them!” So they fell on their faces.
46 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer, put into it fire from the altar and put in incense. Get going and hurry to the assembly and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from Adonai and the plague has started.”
47 Aaron did just as Moses had said, and ran into the middle of the assembly. Behold, the plague had already started among the people. But he offered the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living and the plague stopped. 49 However, there were 14,700 dead from the plague, besides those who died because of Korah.
50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, when the plague had been halted.
Treacherous Tongue!
Psalm 52
1 For the music director: a contemplative song of David, 2 when Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”
3 Why do you brag about evil, mighty man?
God’s lovingkindness is every day.
4 Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, working deceit.
5 You love evil instead of good,
lying rather than speaking right. Selah
6 You love only devouring words—
treacherous tongue!
7 God will pull you down forever,
and snatch you, rip you out of your tent,
and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
8 Then the righteous will see and fear,
and laugh at him:
9 “Here is the man who did not make God his stronghold.
Instead he trusted in his great riches—
and was strong in his evil desire.”
10 But I—I am like an olive tree flourishing in the House of God.
I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever.
11 I will praise You forever for what You have done.
I will hope in Your Name, for it is good,
in the presence of Your kedoshim.
A Fool Denies God
Psalm 53
1 For the music director: on Mahalath, a contemplative song of David.
2 The fool says in his heart:
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, commit vile injustice.
There is no one who does good.
3 God looks down from the heavens
on the children of men,
to see if anyone understands,
who seeks after God.
4 All have turned aside—
together they have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good—
no, not even one!
5 Will the evildoers never learn?
They consume My people as they would eat bread,
and never call upon God.
6 There they are in great dread—
where there is nothing to fear.
For God has scattered the bones of those besieging you.
You have put them to shame,
for God has rejected them.
7 Who will give salvation for Israel out of Zion?
When God restores His captive people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Surely God is My Helper
Psalm 54
1 For the music director, on stringed instruments, a contemplative song of David, 2 when the Ziphites came and said to Saul: “Is not David hiding himself among us?”
3 O God, save me by Your Name,
vindicate me by Your might.
4 O God, hear my prayer,
listen to the words of my mouth.
5 For strangers have risen up against me.
Violent men seek after my soul.
They do not set God before them. Selah
6 Surely God is my helper.
My Lord is the supporter of my soul.
7 Let evil return to my foes.
Silence them with Your truth!
8 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You.
I will praise Your name, Adonai, for it is good.
9 For He has delivered me from all trouble,
and my eye has gazed upon my enemies.
Judah’s Encounter with Adonai
6 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw Adonai sitting on a throne, high and lifted up,[a] and the train of His robe filled the Temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 One called out to another, and said:
“Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is full of His glory.”[b]
4 Then the posts of the door trembled at the voice of those who called, and the House was filled with smoke. [c] 5 Then I said:
“Oy to me! For I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
and I am dwelling among a people of unclean lips.
For my eyes have seen the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips.
Your iniquity is taken away, and your sins atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying:
“Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?”
So I said, “Hineni. Send me.”
9 Then He said:
“Go! Tell this people:
‘Hear without understanding,
and see without perceiving.’[d]
10 Make the heart of this people fat,
their ears heavy, and their eyes blind.
Else they would see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and return, and be healed.”[e]
11 Then I said, “Adonai, how long?”
He answered,
“Until cities are laid waste
and without inhabitant,
houses are without people,
and the land is utterly desolate.
12 Adonai will drive people far away.
The desertion of the land will be vast.
13 Though a tenth still be in it,
it will again be burned.
As a terebinth tree or as an oak
whose stump remains when cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump.”
Brotherly Love in the Community
13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers—for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners as if you were fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you also were suffering bodily. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Keep your lifestyle free from the love of money, and be content with what you have. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” [a] 6 so that with confidence we say,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.
What will man do to me?”[b]
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace—not by foods that have not benefited those occupied by them. 10 We have an altar from which those serving in the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals—whose blood is brought into the Holies by the kohen gadol as an offering for sin—are burned outside the camp. [c] 12 Therefore, to make the people holy through His own blood, Yeshua also suffered outside the gate. 13 So let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. 15 Through Yeshua then, let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips giving thanks to His name. 16 Do not neglect doing good and sharing,[d] for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as ones who must give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. 19 I especially urge you to do this, so that I may be restored to you sooner.
Closing Blessing
20 Now may the God of shalom, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of an everlasting covenant,[e] our Lord Yeshua, 21 make you complete in every good thing to do His will, accomplishing in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Messiah Yeshua. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
22 But I urge you, brothers and sisters, listen patiently to this word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you in few words. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, I will visit you with him.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the kedoshim—those from Italy greet you.
25 Grace be with you all.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.