God Is King over All the Earth

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^wthe Sons of Korah.

The People Complain

1 And ^tthe people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, ^uhis anger was kindled, and ^vthe fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then ^wthe people cried out to Moses, ^xand Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called ^yTaberah,¹ because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 Now the ^zrabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also ^awept again and said, ^b“Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 ^cWe remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

7 Now ^dthe manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 ^eThe people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. ^fAnd the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 ^gWhen the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

10 Moses heard the people ^hweeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 ⁱMoses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ^j‘Carry them in your bosom, as a ^knurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land ^lthat you swore to give their fathers? 13 ^mWhere am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 ⁿI am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Elders Appointed to Aid Moses

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me ^oseventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^pofficers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 ^qAnd I will come down and talk with you there. And ^rI will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and ^sthey shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 And say to the people, ^t‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? ^uFor it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, ^vuntil it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ^w“Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, ^x“The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ 22 ^yShall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” 23 And the Lord said to Moses, ^z“Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether ^amy word will come true for you or not.”

Quail and a Plague

31 Then a ^hwind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits¹ above the ground. 32 And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten ⁱhomers.² And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 ^jWhile the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and ^kthe Lord struck down the people with a very great plague. 34 Therefore the name of that place was called ^lKibroth-hattaavah,³ because there they buried the people who had the craving. 35 ^mFrom Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to ⁿHazeroth, and they remained at ⁿHazeroth.

The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 ⁿ“If anyone comes to me and ^odoes not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, ^pyes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 ^qWhoever does not ^rbear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not ^sfirst sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not ^tsit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 ^uSo therefore, any one of you who ^vdoes not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Salt Without Taste Is Worthless

34 ^w“Salt is good, ^xbut if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. ^yHe who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

1 Now ^zthe tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes ^agrumbled, saying, ^b“This man receives sinners and ^ceats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 ^d“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, ^eif he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine ^fin the open country, and ^ggo after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, ^hhe lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for ⁱI have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who ^jrepents than over ninety-nine ^krighteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins,¹ if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before ^lthe angels of God over one sinner who repents.”