The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday February 3, 2019 (NIV)

Amalek Fought

⁸ Then ^[a]Amalek [and his people] came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to ^[b]Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek [and his people]. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses said, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and ^[c]Hur went up to the hilltop. ¹¹ Now when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and when he lowered his hand [due to fatigue], Amalek prevailed. ¹² But Moses’ hands were heavy and he grew tired. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other side; so it was that his hands were steady until the sun set. ¹³ So Joshua overwhelmed and defeated ^[d]Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in the book as a memorial and ^[e]recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek [and his people] from under heaven.”^{(A) 15} And Moses built an altar and named it ^[f]The Lord Is My Banner; ¹⁶ saying, “The Lord has sworn [an oath]; the Lord will have war against [the people of] Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

18 Now Jethro (Reuel), the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away [from Egypt], ³ along with her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom (stranger), for Moses said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” ⁴ The other [son] was named Eliezer (my God is help), for Moses said, “The God of my father was my help, and He rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Then Jethro, his father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons and his wife to [join] Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mountain of God [that is, Mt. Sinai in Horeb]. ⁶ He sent a message to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons [who are] with her.” ⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down [in respect] and kissed him. They asked each other about their well-being and went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law about all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and about all the hardship that had happened during the journey, and how the Lord had rescued them. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done to Israel, in that He had rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who has rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is ^[g]greater than all gods; indeed, it was proven when they acted insolently toward Israel [and the Lord showed Himself infinitely superior to all their gods].” ¹² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and [other] sacrifices [to offer] to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

¹³ Now the next day Moses sat to judge [the disputes] the people [had with one another], and the people stood around Moses from dawn to dusk. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting alone [as a judge] with all the people standing around you from dawn to dusk?” ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to ask [about the will] of God. ¹⁶ When they have a dispute they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

Jethro Counsels Moses

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to ^[h]me; ^[i]I will advise you, and may God be with you [to confirm my advice]. You shall represent the people before God. You shall bring their disputes and causes to Him. ²⁰ You shall teach them the decrees and laws. You shall show them the way they are to live and the work they are to do. ²¹ Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. ²² They shall judge the people at all times; have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them judge every minor dispute themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ²³ If you will do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure [the responsibility], and all these people will also go [back] to their tents in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens [from the highest to the lowest judicial levels]. ²⁶ And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but every minor dispute they judged and decided themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses ^[j]said goodbye to his father-in-law, and Jethro went back to his own land (Midian).

Moses on Sinai

19 In the third month after the children of Israel had left the land of Egypt, the very same day, they came into the Wilderness of Sinai. ² When they moved out from Rephidim, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai and they camped there; Israel camped at the base of the mountain [of Sinai]. ³ Moses went up to God [on the mountain], and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Say this to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will in fact obey My voice and keep My covenant (agreement), then you shall be My own special possession and treasure from among all peoples [of the world], for all the earth is Mine; ⁶ and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation [set apart for My purpose].’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses called for the elders of the people, and told them all these words which the Lord commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together and said, “We will do everything that the Lord has spoken.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may believe and trust in you forever.” Then Moses repeated the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰ The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow [that is, prepare them for My sacred purpose], and have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai [in the cloud] in the sight of all the people. ¹² You shall set barriers for the people all around [the mountain], saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch its border; whoever touches the mountain must be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him [that is, no one shall try to save the guilty party], but the offender must be stoned or shot through [with arrows]; whether man or animal [that touches the mountain], he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”^{(B) 14} So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified them [for God’s sacred purpose], and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Be prepared for the third day; do not ^[k]be intimate with a woman.”

³⁴ Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together.^{(A) 35} One of them, a lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law], asked Jesus a question, to test Him: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”^{(B) 37} And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’^{(C) 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’^{(D) 40} The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

⁴¹ Now while the Pharisees were [still] gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:^{(E) 42} “What do you [Pharisees] think of the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed)? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “^[a]The son of David.” ⁴³ Jesus asked them, “How is it then that David by the inspiration of the Spirit, calls Him ‘Lord,’ saying,

⁴⁵ So then, if David calls Him (the Son, the Messiah) ‘Lord,’ ^[b]how is He David’s son?” ⁴⁶ No one was able to say a word to Him in answer, nor from that day on did anyone dare to question Him again.

Pharisaism Exposed

23 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ chair [of authority as teachers of the Law]; ³ so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. ⁴ The scribes and Pharisees tie up ^[c]heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their ^[d]phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their ^[e]tassels long.^{(G) 6} They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation], ⁷ and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi. ⁸ But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ. ¹¹ But the greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be raised to honor.