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³ Moses then went and told the people exactly what the Eternal had said, and he carefully laid out God’s instructions. All the people answered as if they had one, single voice.

⁴ Moses wrote down in great detail everything that the Eternal had said. Then early the next morning he woke up and constructed an altar at the foot of the mountain and erected twelve stone pillars.^[a] Each pillar represented one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁵ Moses directed some of the young men of Israel to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the Eternal. ⁶ He gathered half of the blood from the animals and filled the basins with it. He sprinkled the other half of the blood against the altar. ⁷ Then Moses took the book of the covenant—the very instructions spoken to him by God—and read it aloud so all the people could hear.

⁸ Moses took the blood of the sacrifices and sprinkled it on the gathered people.

⁹ Then Moses took Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders and went up the mountain. ¹⁰ There they saw Israel’s God. Beneath His feet, there appeared to be paving stones of sapphire, as pure and clear as the sky above. ¹¹ But God did not raise His hand against the leaders of Israel to strike them down. They beheld the True God, and they feasted and drank in His presence.

¹³ So Moses and his assistant, Joshua, got up and began the long climb up toward the summit of the mountain of God.

^15-16 Moses^[b] made his way up the mountain. A thick cloud blanketed the mountain because the Eternal’s glory had settled upon it. The cloud stayed there for six days; and when the seventh day arrived, the Eternal spoke to Moses from the cloud.

¹⁷ For the Israelites below, the Eternal’s glory appeared to be a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. ¹⁸ As Moses walked further toward the top, he was swallowed by the cloud of God’s glory, and he remained there for a total of 40 days and 40 nights.

25 Then the Eternal spoke to Moses.

Psalm 30

A song of David. For the dedication of the temple.

24 Jesus left the temple. As He was walking away, His disciples came up to Him and asked what He thought about the temple buildings.

³ Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately.

Psalm 29

A song of David.

¹⁴ “‘This day is to be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it as a perpetual ordinance from generation to generation. ¹⁵ You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days. On the first day be sure to remove all the leaven from your houses, because any person who eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh will be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ Also, on the first day you’re to hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day you’re to hold a holy assembly. No work is to be done during those days, except for preparing what is to be eaten by each person.

¹⁷ “‘You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread, since on this very day I brought your tribal divisions from the land of Egypt. You are to observe this day from generation to generation as a perpetual ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month, you are to eat unleavened bread. ¹⁹ For seven days leaven is not to be found in your houses. Indeed, any person who eats anything leavened, is to be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether an alien or a native of the land. ²⁰ You are not to eat what is leavened. You are to eat unleavened bread in all your settlements.’”

²¹ Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Choose sheep for your families, and slaughter the Passover lamb. ²² Take a bundle of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some of the blood in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you is to go out of the doorway of his house until morning, ²³ because the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the doorway, and won’t allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down. ²⁴ You are to observe this event as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵ When you enter the land that the Lord will give you, just as he promised, you are to observe this ritual. ²⁶ And when your children say to you, ‘What does this ritual mean?’^{[a] 27} you are to say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelis in Egypt when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” Then the people bowed down and worshipped. ²⁸ The Israelis did this. Moses and Aaron did just what the Lord had commanded.

The Death of the Firstborn in Egypt

²⁹ And so at midnight the Lord struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. ³⁰ Pharaoh got up during the night, he, all his officials,^[b] and all the Egyptians, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, because there was not a house without someone dead in it. ³¹ Then he summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and told them: “Get up, go out from among my people, both you and the Israelis! Go, serve^[c] the Lord as you have said. ³² Take both your sheep and your cattle, just as you demanded^[d] and go! And bless me too!”

³³ The Egyptian officials^[e] urged the people to send them out of the land quickly, because they were saying, “We’ll all be dead!” ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders. ³⁵ Meanwhile, the Israelis had done as Moses said;^[f] they had asked the Egyptians for objects of silver and objects of gold, and for clothes. ³⁶ The Lord had given the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they requested. As a result, they plundered the Egyptians.

The Exodus Begins

³⁷ About 600,000 Israeli men traveled from Rameses to Succoth on foot, not counting children. ³⁸ A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with a very large number of livestock, including sheep and cattle. ³⁹ They baked the dough that they brought out of Egypt into thin cakes of unleavened bread. It had not been leavened because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the time that the Israelis lived in Egypt was 430 years. ⁴¹ At the end of 430 years, to the very day, all the tribal divisions of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² That was for the Lord a night of vigil^[g] to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night belongs to the Lord, and is to be a vigil for all the Israelis from generation to generation.

Instructions for the Passover

⁴³ The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover: No foreigner is to eat it, ⁴⁴ though any slave^[h] purchased with money may eat it after you have circumcised him. ⁴⁵ But no temporary resident or a hired servant is to eat it. ⁴⁶ It is to be eaten in one house, and you are not to take any of the meat outside the house, nor are you to break any of its bones. ⁴⁷ The whole congregation of Israel is to observe it. ⁴⁸ If an alien who resides with you wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, every male in his household^[i] must be circumcised, and then he may come near to observe it. He is to be like a native of the land, but no uncircumcised person is to eat it. ⁴⁹ A single law exists for the native and the alien who resides among you.”

⁵⁰ All the Israelis did this. They did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ And on that very day, the Lord brought the Israelis out of the land of Egypt by their tribal divisions.

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelis, both of humans and of animals, belongs to me.”

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

³ Then Moses told the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, from the house of bondage, because the Lord brought you out from this place with a strong show of force.^[j] Moreover, nothing leavened is to be eaten. ⁴ Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. ⁵ When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your ancestors to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ritual in this month. ⁶ You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. ⁷ Unleavened bread is to be eaten for seven days, and nothing leavened is to be seen among you, nor is leaven to be seen among you throughout your territory. ⁸ And you are to tell your child on that day, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ It is to be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead,^[k] so that you may speak about the instruction^[l] of the Lord; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong show of force.^{[m] 10} You are to keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.”

The Redemption of the Firstborn

¹¹ “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite and gives it to you, just as he promised you and your ancestors, ¹² you are to dedicate to the Lord everything that first opens the womb. All the firstborn males^[n] of your livestock belong to the Lord. ¹³ You are to redeem every firstborn donkey^[o] with a lamb, and if you don’t redeem it, you are to break its neck. You are to redeem every firstborn^[p] among your sons. ¹⁴ Then when your child asks you in the future, ‘What is this?’, you are to say to him, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage with a strong show of force.^{[q] 15} And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of humans to the firstborn of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but I redeem every firstborn of my sons. ¹⁶ It is to be a sign on your hand and an emblem^[r] on your forehead,^[s] because the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong show of force.’”^[t]

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men^(A)

²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus.^{[a] 30} When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord,^[b] Son of David!” ³¹ When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³³ They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!”^{[c] 34} Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.

The King Enters Jerusalem^(B)

21 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and ² told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”

⁴ Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said,

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. ⁸ Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. ⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting,

¹⁰ When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people^[j] were asking, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Confrontation in the Temple over Money^(C)

¹² Then Jesus went into the Temple,^[k] threw out everyone who was selling and buying in the Temple, and overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. ¹³ He told them, “It is written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer,’^[l] but you are turning it into a hideout^[m] for bandits!”

¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the high priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he had done and the children shouting in the Temple, “Hosanna^[n] to the Son of David,” they became furious ¹⁶ and asked him, “Do you hear what these people are saying?”

Jesus told them, “Yes! Haven’t you ever read, ‘From the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have created praise’?”^{[o] 17} Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree^(D)

¹⁸ In the morning, as Jesus^[p] was returning to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the roadside, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. He told it, “May fruit never come from you again!” And immediately the fig tree dried up.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus answered them, “I tell all of you^[q] with certainty, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do what has been done to the fig tree, but you will also say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. ²² You will receive whatever you ask for in prayer, if you believe.”

The Folly of Causing Strife

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I’ve hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials^[a] in order to perform^[b] these signs of mine among them,^{[c] 2} so you may tell^[d] your children and your grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians and about my miraculous signs that I performed among them, so all of you^[e] may know that I am the Lord.

³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so they may serve^[f] me. ⁴ But if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I’m going to bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ They’ll cover the surface of the land so a person^[g] cannot see the ground, and they’ll eat what is left for you of the residue from the hail. They’ll also eat all your trees that grow in the orchards. ⁶ Your houses will be filled, along with the houses of all your officials^[h] and the houses of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor your ancestors ever saw from the time they were on earth until now.’” Then Moses^[i] turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.

⁷ Then the officials^[j] of Pharaoh told him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go so they may serve the Lord their God! Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is about to be destroyed?”

⁸ Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh and he told them, “Go, serve^[k] the Lord your God. But exactly who^[l] will go?”

⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and our cattle, because it’s a festival to the Lord for us.”

¹⁰ Then Pharaoh^[m] told them, “The Lord will certainly^[n] be with you if I let you and your little ones go. I know^[o] some evil plan is in your mind.^{[p] 11} No! Let the men go and serve^[q] the Lord, for that is what you were seeking.” Then they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.

¹² The Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to bring^[r] the locusts, and they’ll come up over the land of Egypt and eat all the vegetation of the land, everything that the hail left.” ¹³ Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind into the land all that day and throughout^[s] the night. When morning came, the east wind brought the locusts.

¹⁴ The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on all the territory of Egypt in great swarms.^[t] There had never been locusts like this before nor would there ever be again. ¹⁵ They covered the surface of the entire land so that it^[u] was dark. They ate all the vegetation of the land and the fruit from the trees that the hail left. Nothing green was left on the trees or on the vegetation in all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Pharaoh quickly called Moses and Aaron and said, “I’ve sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now, please forgive my sin only this time, and pray to the Lord your God that he would at least remove this^[v] from me.”

¹⁸ Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. ¹⁹ Then the Lord brought^[w] a very strong west wind that took the locusts and drove them into the Reed^[x] Sea. Not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn^[y] and he would not let the Israelis go.

The Plague of Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch your hand toward the sky and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that one can feel.” ²² So Moses stretched his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else, nor could anyone get up from his place for three days. But there was light for all the Israelis in their dwellings.

²⁴ Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go serve^[z] the Lord, but your flocks and your cattle are to remain. Even your little ones can go with you!”

²⁵ Moses said, “You must let us have^[aa] sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the Lord our God. ²⁶ And even our livestock must go with us. Not a hoof will be left behind because we will use^[ab] some of them to serve the Lord our God, and until we get there we won’t know what we need to serve^[ac] the Lord.”

²⁷ The Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn,^[ad] and he did not want to let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh told him, “Get away from me! Watch out that you never see my face again, because on the day you see my face, you will die!”

²⁹ Moses said, “Just as you have said, I won’t see your face again!”

Warning of the Death of the Firstborn

11 Then the Lord told Moses, “I’ll bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he’ll let you leave from here, and when he lets you go, he will certainly drive you out from here. ² Tell^[ae] the people that each man is to ask his neighbor and each woman her neighbor for articles of silver and gold.”

³ The Lord made the Egyptians look on the people with favor. Also the man Moses was highly regarded^[af] in the land of Egypt, both in the opinion^[ag] of Pharaoh’s officials^[ah] and in the opinion^[ai] of the people.

⁴ So Moses announced to Pharaoh,^[aj] “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I’m going throughout Egypt, ⁵ and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the slave girl who operates^[ak] the hand mill, along with the firstborn of the animals. ⁶ There will be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt, like there has never been and never will be again. ⁷ But among the Israelis, from people to animals, not even a dog will bark,^[al] so you may know that the Lord is distinguishing between the Egyptians and the Israelis.’ ⁸ All these officials^[am] of yours will come down to me, prostrate themselves to me, and say, ‘Get out, you and all the people following^[an] you!’ After that I’ll go out.” Then Moses^[ao] angrily left Pharaoh.

⁹ The Lord told Moses, “Pharaoh won’t listen to you. As a result, my wonders will increase throughout the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders in front of Pharaoh, but the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn,^[ap] and he would not let the Israelis go out from his land.

The Passover is Instituted

12 The Lord told Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ² “This month will mark the beginning of months for you. It will be the first month of the year for you. ³ Tell the entire congregation of Israel, ‘On the tenth of this month they’re each to take a lamb for themselves, according to their ancestors’ households, one lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a lamb, then it and its closest neighbor are to obtain one based on the number of individuals—dividing^[aq] the lamb based on what each person can eat. ⁵ Your lamb is to be a year old male without blemish. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ It is to remain under your care until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the entire assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it at twilight. ⁷ They’re to take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat the lamb.^{[ar] 8} That very night they’re to eat the meat, roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water. Instead, roast it over the fire, with its head, legs, and internal organs. ¹⁰ Don’t leave any of it until morning, and whatever does remain of it until morning you are to burn in the fire.

¹¹ “‘This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it hurriedly—it’s the Lord’s Passover. ¹² I’ll pass through the land of Egypt that night and strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I’ll execute judgments on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. I’ll see the blood and pass over you. There will be no plague to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Workers in the Vineyard

20 “The kingdom from^[a] heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius^[b] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When he went out about nine o’clock,^[c] he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. ⁴ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So off they went. He went out again about noon^[d] and about three o’clock^[e] and did the same thing. ⁶ About five o’clock^[f] he went out and found some others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’ ⁷ They told him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He told them, ‘You go into the vineyard as well.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his manager, ‘Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with^[g] the first.’ ⁹ Those who were hired at five o’clock^[h] came, and each received a denarius.

¹⁰ “When the first came, they thought they would receive more, but each received a denarius as well. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner, ¹² ‘These last fellows worked only one hour, but you paid them the same as us, and we’ve been working all day,^[i] enduring the scorching heat!’

¹³ “But he told one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. You did agree with me for a denarius, didn’t you? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as I gave you.^{[j] 15} I am allowed to do what I want with my own money,^[k] am I not? Or are you envious^[l] because I’m generous?’

¹⁶ “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”^[m]

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time^(A)

¹⁷ When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples^[n] aside and told them as they were walking along, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to unbelievers^[o] to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”

The Request of James and John^(B)

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus^[p] with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. ²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”

She told him, “Promise^[q] that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”

²² Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”^[r]

They told him, “We can.”

²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples^[s] and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers^[t] lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ²⁶ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. ²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

Davidic^[a]

A Prayer for Help and Forgiveness

The Folly of Laziness

The Plague of Frogs

²⁵ Seven days after^[a] the Lord had struck the Nile River,^[b] 8 ^1 [c]he told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let my people go so they may serve^[d] me. ² And if you refuse to let them go, then I’m going to strike all your territory with frogs. ³ The Nile will swarm with frogs. They’ll come up and enter your house, your bedroom, your bed, and your servants’ houses. They’ll jump on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. ⁴ The frogs will be all over you and your servants.”’”

^5 [e]Then the Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the Nile River,^[f] and over the ponds, and bring up frogs over the land of Egypt.’” ⁶ So Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same thing^[g] with their secret arts, and they brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh called to Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord so that he may remove the frogs from me and my people. I’ll let the people go so they can offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

⁹ Moses told Pharaoh, “You decide^[h] when I should plead for you, your servants, and your people to remove^[i] the frogs from you and your household. They’ll remain only in the Nile River.^[j]”

¹⁰ Pharaoh^[k] said, “Tomorrow.”

Moses^[l] said, “It will be just as you say,^[m] so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you, your house, your officials,^[n] and your people. They’ll remain only in the Nile River.^[o]”

¹² Then Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s presence, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs which he had sent^[p] on Pharaoh. ¹³ The Lord did just as Moses asked,^[q] and the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields. ¹⁴ They gathered them up into large piles and the land smelled terrible. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

The Plague of Gnats

¹⁶ Then the Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff, strike the dust of the ground, and the dust^[r] will become gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” ¹⁷ They did this.^[s] Aaron stretched his hand out with his staff, struck the dust of the land, and gnats came on people and animals—all the dust of the ground became gnats throughout the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried^[t] to do the same thing^[u] with their secret arts, but they were unable to bring out the gnats. The gnats were on the people and the animals.

¹⁹ The magicians told Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God!”^[v] But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn^[w] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

²⁰ The Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he’s going down to the water. You are to say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Let my people go so they can serve^[x] me. ²¹ But if you don’t let my people go, I’ll send swarms of insects upon you, your servants, your people, and your households. The houses of Egypt—and even the ground on which they stand—will be filled with swarms of insects. ²² On that day I’ll treat the land of Goshen where my people live^[y] differently so that swarms of insects won’t be there. As a result, you will know that I the Lord am in the midst of the land. ²³ I’ll make a distinction between my people and your people, and this sign will occur tomorrow.”’”

²⁴ The Lord did this, and dense swarms of insects came into the house of Pharaoh and into the houses of his servants. The land was ruined throughout^[z] Egypt because of the swarms of insects. ²⁵ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, offer sacrifices to your God in the land.”

²⁶ “It wouldn’t be right to sacrifice in this way,”^[aa] Moses replied, “because if we do,^[ab] we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is offensive to the Egyptians.^[ac] If we offer sacrifices that are offensive to the Egyptians^[ad] in front of them, they’ll stone us, won’t they? ²⁷ We must go a three-day journey into the desert, and we’ll offer sacrifices to the Lord our God just as he has told us.”

²⁸ Then Pharaoh said, “I’ll let you go so you can offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert. But you must not go very far away. Pray for me.”

²⁹ Moses said, “Right now I’m going to leave you, and I’ll pray to the Lord that the swarms of insects may depart from Pharaoh, from his officials, and from his people tomorrow. But Pharaoh, don’t continue lying by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

³⁰ Then Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and prayed to the Lord. ³¹ The Lord did what Moses asked,^[ae] and the swarms of insects departed from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not one remained. ³² But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague on the Egyptian Cattle

9 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: “Let my people go so they may serve^[af] me. ² But if you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, ³ then the hand of the Lord will come^[ag] with a very severe plague on your livestock in the fields, on horses, on donkeys, on camels, on cattle, and on sheep. ⁴ The Lord will distinguish between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing that belongs to the Israelis will die.”’”

⁵ The Lord set the time: “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶ The Lord did this thing the next day, and all the livestock of the Egyptians died. But not one of the livestock died that belonged to the Israelis. ⁷ Then Pharaoh inquired and discovered^[ah] that not a single one of the livestock of Israel had died, but Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn^[ai] and he would not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

⁸ Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it into the air^[aj] in front of Pharaoh. ⁹ The soot^[ak] will become dust over the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils erupting into sores on people and animals throughout the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. Then Moses threw it into the air,^[al] and it became boils producing running sores on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians were not able to stand before Moses because of the boils, because the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. ¹² The Lord made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn^[am] so that he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had told Moses.

The Plague of Hail

¹³ Then the Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning, present yourself to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: “Let my people go so they may serve^[an] me. ¹⁴ Indeed, this time I’m sending all my plagues against you^[ao], your officials,^[ap] and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ Indeed, by now I could have sent forth my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been destroyed from the earth. ¹⁶ However, I’ve kept you standing^[aq] in order to show you my power and to declare my name in all the earth. ¹⁷ You are still acting arrogantly against my people by not letting them go. ¹⁸ Look! About this time tomorrow, I’ll send a severe hail storm, such as has not happened in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ So send for your livestock and everything that belongs to you that’s out in the field, because^[ar] every person and animal found in the field that has not been brought inside to shelters will die when the hail comes down on them.”’”

²⁰ Whoever feared the message from the Lord among Pharaoh’s officials^[as] made his servants and livestock flee into shelters. ²¹ But whoever did not pay attention^[at] to the message from the Lord left his servants and his livestock outside in the fields.

²² Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be hail in all the land of Egypt, on people, animals, and all the vegetation of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³ When Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. The Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

²⁴ There was very heavy hail, and lightning was flashing continuously in the midst of the hail. There had not been anything like it in the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck everything, including people and animals, outside in the fields throughout the land of Egypt. The hail struck all the vegetation of the fields and shattered all the trees in the orchards. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the Israelis were, was there no hail.

²⁷ Pharaoh sent word^[au] and called for Moses and Aaron. “I’ve sinned this time,” he told them. “The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are wicked. ²⁸ Pray to the Lord! There has been enough of God’s thunder and hail! I’ll let you go, and you need not stay any longer.”

²⁹ Moses told him, “When I leave the city I’ll spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease and the hail won’t continue, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. ³⁰ But as for you and your officials,^[av] I know that you don’t yet fear the Lord God.” ³¹ (Now the flax and the barley were ruined because the barley was in ear and the flax was in bud. ³² The wheat and the wild grain^[aw] were not ruined because they were late crops.)

³³ Then Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured out on the land. ³⁴ When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he continued to sin. He, along with his officials,^[ax] hardened his heart. ³⁵ Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn,^[ay] and he did not let the Israelis go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

Jesus Blesses the Little Children^(A)

¹³ Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought^[a] them. ¹⁴ Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from^[b] heaven belongs to people like these.” ¹⁵ When he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.

A Rich Man Comes to Jesus^(B)

¹⁶ Just then a man came up to Jesus.^[c] “Teacher,”^[d] he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”

¹⁷ Jesus^[e] asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.^[f] If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ The young man^[g] asked him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, “‘You must not murder,^[h] you must not commit adultery,^[i] you must not steal,^[j] you must not give false testimony,^{[k] 19} honor your father and mother,’^[l] and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”^[m]

²⁰ The young man told him, “I have kept all of these.^[n] What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money^[o] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²² But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.

Salvation and Reward^(C)

²³ Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you^[p] with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from^[q] heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.

²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

²⁷ “Look!” Peter replied. “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we get?”

²⁸ Jesus told them, “I tell all of you^[r] with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much^[s] and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

A Davidic Psalm.

A Song for the King of Glory

The Folly of Guaranteeing Loans

²² So Moses returned to the Lord and asked him, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why have you sent me here? ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have done nothing to deliver your people.”

God Promises to Deliver Israel

6 The Lord told Moses, “Now you’re about to see what I’ll do to Pharaoh. Indeed, he’ll send them out under compulsion^[a] and he’ll drive them out of his land violently.”^[b]

² Later, God told Moses, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty,^[c] and did I not reveal to them my name ‘Lord’? ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as resident aliens for a time. ⁵ Also, I’ve heard the groaning of the Israelis whom the Egyptians have forced to labor for them, and I’ve remembered my covenant. ⁶ Therefore, tell the Israelis, ‘I am the Lord. I’ll bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I’ll deliver you from their bondage. I’ll redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.^{[d] 7} I’ll take you for my own people,^[e] and I’ll be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I’ll bring you to the land that I swore^[f] to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I’ll give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

⁹ Then Moses reported this to the Israelis, but they did not listen to Moses due to their irritation and impatience because there was no deliverance^[g] and because of the cruel bondage.

¹⁰ Then the Lord told Moses, ¹¹ “Go, speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that he should let the Israelis go out of his land.”

¹² Then Moses said right in front of the Lord, “Look, the Israelis didn’t listen to me, so how will Pharaoh? I’m not a persuasive speaker.”^{[h] 13} Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, issuing orders to them regarding the Israelis for delivery to Pharaoh, king of Egypt; that is, to bring the Israelis out of the land of Egypt.

Genealogies of Moses and Aaron

¹⁴ These are the heads of their ancestors’ households: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu; Hezron and Carmi.

These are the families of Reuben, including ¹⁵ Simeon’s sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the Canaanite woman’s son. These are the families of Simeon.

¹⁶ These are the names of Levi’s sons according to their genealogies: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived^[i] 137 years. ¹⁷ Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei, according to their families. ¹⁸ Kohath’s descendants included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Now Kohath lived for 133 years. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the descendants of Levi, according to their genealogies.

²⁰ Amram married Jochebed, his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived for 137 years. ²¹ The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. ²² The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

²³ Then Aaron married Elisheba daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴ The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the families of the descendants of Korah. ²⁵ Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phineas. These are the heads of the ancestors of the descendants of Levi, according to their families.

²⁶ This is the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelis out of the land of Egypt by their tribal divisions.” ²⁷ They were the ones speaking to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the Israelis out of Egypt; this is that same Moses and Aaron.

Moses Doubts that Pharaoh will Listen

²⁸ And it happened when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt ²⁹ that the Lord told Moses, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything that I’m saying to you.”

³⁰ Moses said in the presence of the Lord, “Look, I’m not a persuasive speaker,^[j] so how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

God Appoints Aaron to Assist Moses

7 The Lord told Moses, “Listen! I’ve positioned you as God^[k] to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. ² You are to speak everything that I’ve commanded you, and then your brother Aaron will speak to Pharaoh, telling him to let the Israelis go out of his land. ³ I’ll harden Pharaoh’s heart and I’ll add more and more of my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When Pharaoh won’t listen to you, I’ll let loose my power^[l] upon Egypt. I’ll bring out my tribal divisions—my people the Israelis—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment.^{[m] 5} The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand over Egypt to bring the Israelis out from among them.” ⁶ Moses and Aaron did what the Lord commanded them. ⁷ Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Moses’ Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸ Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.”

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and sorcerers, and they—along with the Egyptian magicians—did the same thing with their secret arts. ¹² So each one threw down his staff and it became a serpent, but Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn^[n] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said would happen.

Water is Turned into Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord told Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hard. He has refused to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he’s going down to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile River^[o] and meet him. Be sure to take with you^[p] the staff that was turned into a snake. ¹⁶ Then say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go so they may serve^[q] me in the desert, but until now you haven’t obeyed.”’^[r]

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Lord says: “This is how you’ll know that I am the Lord: Right now I’m going to strike the water of the Nile River^[s] with the staff that’s in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. ¹⁸ The fish in the Nile River^[t] will die and the river^[u] will stink. The Egyptians will be unable^[v] to drink water from the Nile River.^[w]”’”

¹⁹ The Lord also told Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their Nile River^[x], over their ponds, and over their reservoirs,^[y] and they’ll become blood. There will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in their^[z] wood and stone containers.’”^[aa]

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did just what the Lord had commanded. Aaron^[ab] raised his staff and struck the water in the Nile River^[ac] in front of^[ad] Pharaoh and his^[ae] officials,^[af] and all the water in the Nile River^[ag] turned to blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile River^[ah] died and the river^[ai] stank. The Egyptians were not able to drink water from the Nile River,^[aj] and blood was throughout the land of Egypt. ²² But the Egyptian magicians did the same thing^[ak] with their secret arts. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn,^[al] and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. ²³ Then Pharaoh turned away, went to his palace, and paid no attention to any of this. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug around the Nile River^[am] for water to drink because they could not drink from the water in the Nile River.^[an]

The Parable about an Unforgiving Servant

²¹ Then Peter came up and asked him, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?”

²² Jesus told him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times!^{[a] 23} “That is why the kingdom from^[b] heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents^[c] was brought to him. ²⁵ Because he couldn’t pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. ²⁶ Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Be patient^[d] with me, and I will repay you everything!’ ²⁷ The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt.

²⁸ “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.^[e] He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ ²⁹ Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ ³⁰ But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt.

³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. ³² Then his master sent for him and told him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. ³⁵ This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts.”

Teaching about Divorce^(A)

19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,^[f] he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side^[g] of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

³ Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man^[h] to divorce his wife for any reason?”

⁴ He answered them, “Haven’t you read that the one who made^[i] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’^{[j] 5} and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?^{[k] 6} So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”

⁷ They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”^[l]

⁸ He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way. ⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”^[m]

¹⁰ His disciples asked him, “If that is the relationship of a man with his wife, it’s not worth getting married!”

¹¹ “Not everyone can accept this saying,” he replied, “except those to whom celibacy^[n] has been granted, ¹² because some men are celibate from birth,^[o] while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from^[p] heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

A Davidic Psalm.

The Lord Shepherds His People

Moses Argues with God

4 Then Moses answered, “Look, they won’t believe me and they won’t listen to me.^[a] Instead, they’ll say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you.’”

² “What’s that in your hand?” the Lord asked him.

Moses^[b] answered, “A staff.”^[c]

³ Then God^[d] said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it.

⁴ Then God told Moses, “Reach out^[e] and grab its tail.” So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff^[f] in his hand. ⁵ God said, “I’ve done this^[g] so that they may believe that the Lord God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

⁶ Again the Lord told him, “Put your hand into your bosom.”^[h] He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like snow.^{[i] 7} Then God^[j] said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.” He returned it^[k] to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out,^[l] it was restored like the rest of^[m] his skin.^[n]

⁸ “Then if they don’t believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second^[o] sign. ⁹ But if they don’t believe even these two signs, and won’t listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River^[p] and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River^[q] will turn into blood on the dry ground.”

¹⁰ Then Moses told the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not eloquent.^[r] I never was in the past^[s] nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly^[t] and I have a speech impediment.”^[u]

¹¹ Then God asked him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech,^[v] and I’ll teach you what you are to say.”

¹³ Moses said, “Please, Lord, send somebody else.”^[w]

¹⁴ Then the Lord was angry with Moses and said, “There’s your brother Aaron, a descendant of Levi, isn’t there? I know that he certainly is eloquent.^[x] Right now he’s coming to meet you and he will be pleased to see you. ¹⁵ You’re to speak to him and tell him what to say.^[y] I’ll help both you and him with your speech,^[z] and I’ll teach both of you what you are to do. ¹⁶ He is to speak to the people for you as your spokesman^[aa] and you are to act in the role of^[ab] God for him. ¹⁷ Now pick up that staff with your hand. You’ll use it to perform the signs.”

Moses Decides to Return to Egypt

¹⁸ Moses left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses^[ac] told him, “Please let me go and return to my own people^[ad] in Egypt so I can see whether they’re still alive.”

Jethro told Moses, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹ The Lord told Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ Then the Lord told Moses, “When you set out to return to Egypt, keep in mind^[ae] all the wonders that I’ve put in your power,^[af] so that you may do them before Pharaoh. But I’ll harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. ²² You are to say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Israel is my firstborn son. ²³ And I say to you, ‘Let my son go so he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”’”

Zipporah Circumcises Moses’ Son

²⁴ But later on, at the lodging place along the way, the Lord met Moses^[ag] and was about to kill him. ²⁵ Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’^[ah] feet with it, saying while doing so,^[ai] “…because you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” ²⁶ Then the Lord^[aj] withdrew from him, and she said, “…a bridegroom of blood because of circumcision.”

Moses and Aaron Meet and Return to Egypt

²⁷ The Lord told Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the desert.” So Aaron^[ak] went, found^[al] him at the mountain of God, and embraced^[am] him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all of the Lord’s messages that he had sent with Moses, and all of the signs that he commanded him to do.^{[an] 29} Later, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke everything that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Moses^[ao] performed the miracles^[ap] before the very eyes of the people. ³¹ The people believed and understood^[aq] that the Lord had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship.

Pharaoh Refuses to Let the People Go

5 After Moses and Aaron arrived, they told Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so they may make a pilgrimage for me in the desert.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to^[ar] him and let Israel go? I don’t know about^[as] the Lord, nor will I let Israel go!”

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God so he does not strike us with pestilence or sword.”^[at]

⁴ The king of Egypt replied to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping the people from their labor? Go back to your work!”^{[au] 5} Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people in the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”^[av]

Pharaoh Increases the Israelis’ Work

⁶ That day Pharaoh ordered the taskmasters of the people and their officials, ⁷ “You’re no longer to give the people straw for making bricks, as in the past.^[aw] They must gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But you’re to impose the previous quota^[ax] of bricks that they’re making. You’re not to reduce it! It is because they’re lazy that they’re crying out, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to our God.’ ⁹ So increase the work load on the people,^[ay] and let them do it so they don’t pay attention to deceptive speeches.”

¹⁰ Then the taskmasters of the people and their officials went out and told the people, “This is Pharaoh’s response: ‘I’ll no longer give you any^[az] straw. ¹¹ Go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work quotas won’t be reduced at all.’”^{[ba] 12} So the people scattered throughout the entire land of Egypt to collect stubble^[bb] for straw.

¹³ The taskmasters pressured them by saying, “Finish your work—each day’s quota^[bc]—just as when you were given straw.”^[bd]

¹⁴ The Israeli supervisors whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had appointed over them were beaten and told,^[be] “Why didn’t you, both yesterday and today, fulfill^[bf] your quota^[bg] for making bricks as before?”

The Israelis’ Appeal Rejected by Pharaoh

¹⁵ The Israeli supervisors came and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you doing this to us?^{[bh] 16} No straw is being given to us, yet they’re saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, we are being beaten. It’s wrong how you are treating your people!”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh^[bi] said, “You are lazy, lazy! That’s why^[bj] you’re saying, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now, go! Get to work! And straw won’t be given to you, but you are to deliver the same^[bk] number of bricks!” ¹⁹ The Israeli supervisors realized they were in trouble when he said,^[bl] “You won’t reduce each day’s quota of bricks!”^[bm]

The Israelis Blame Moses and Moses Complains to God

²⁰ As they left Pharaoh’s presence,^[bn] they met Moses and Aaron standing there.^{[bo] 21} The supervisors^[bp] told them, “May the Lord look on you and judge you!^[bq] You have made us repulsive to^[br] Pharaoh and his servants. You have put^[bs] a sword in their hands to kill us.”

True Greatness^(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom from^[a] heaven?”

² Calling a little child forward, he had him stand among them. ³ Then he said, “I tell all of you^[b] with certainty, unless you change^[c] and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from^[d] heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from^[e] heaven, ⁵ and whoever receives a little child like this in my name receives me.”

Causing Others to Sin^(B)

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea. ⁷ How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

⁸ “So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell^[f] fire.

¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save the lost.”^[g]

The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd^(C)

¹² “What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he? ¹³ If he finds it, I tell all of you^[h] with certainty that he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that haven’t strayed. ¹⁴ In the same way, it is not the will of your^[i] Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

Dealing with a Brother who Sins^(D)

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you,^[j] go and confront him while the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that ‘every word may be confirmed by the testimony^[k] of two or three witnesses.’^{[l] 17} If, however, he ignores them, tell it to the congregation.^[m] If he also ignores the congregation,^[n] regard him as an unbeliever^[o] and a tax collector.

¹⁸ “I tell all of you^[p] with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited^[q] in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted^[r] in heaven. ¹⁹ Furthermore, I tell all of you^[s] with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven, ²⁰ because where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.”

The Delights of Marital Faithfulness

Moses Argues with God

4 Then Moses answered, “Look, they won’t believe me and they won’t listen to me.^[a] Instead, they’ll say, ‘The Lord didn’t appear to you.’”

² “What’s that in your hand?” the Lord asked him.

Moses^[b] answered, “A staff.”^[c]

³ Then God^[d] said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw it to the ground and it became a snake. Moses ran away from it.

⁴ Then God told Moses, “Reach out^[e] and grab its tail.” So he reached out, grabbed it, and it became a staff^[f] in his hand. ⁵ God said, “I’ve done this^[g] so that they may believe that the Lord God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

⁶ Again the Lord told him, “Put your hand into your bosom.”^[h] He put his hand into his bosom and as soon as he brought it out it was leprous, like snow.^{[i] 7} Then God^[j] said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.” He returned it^[k] to his bosom and as soon as he brought it out,^[l] it was restored like the rest of^[m] his skin.^[n]

⁸ “Then if they don’t believe you and respond to the first sign, they may respond to the second^[o] sign. ⁹ But if they don’t believe even these two signs, and won’t listen to you, then take some water out of the Nile River^[p] and pour it on the dry ground. The water you took from the Nile River^[q] will turn into blood on the dry ground.”

¹⁰ Then Moses told the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not eloquent.^[r] I never was in the past^[s] nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly^[t] and I have a speech impediment.”^[u]

¹¹ Then God asked him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech,^[v] and I’ll teach you what you are to say.”

¹³ Moses said, “Please, Lord, send somebody else.”^[w]

¹⁴ Then the Lord was angry with Moses and said, “There’s your brother Aaron, a descendant of Levi, isn’t there? I know that he certainly is eloquent.^[x] Right now he’s coming to meet you and he will be pleased to see you. ¹⁵ You’re to speak to him and tell him what to say.^[y] I’ll help both you and him with your speech,^[z] and I’ll teach both of you what you are to do. ¹⁶ He is to speak to the people for you as your spokesman^[aa] and you are to act in the role of^[ab] God for him. ¹⁷ Now pick up that staff with your hand. You’ll use it to perform the signs.”

Moses Decides to Return to Egypt

¹⁸ Moses left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses^[ac] told him, “Please let me go and return to my own people^[ad] in Egypt so I can see whether they’re still alive.”

Jethro told Moses, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹ The Lord told Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on donkeys, and headed back to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ Then the Lord told Moses, “When you set out to return to Egypt, keep in mind^[ae] all the wonders that I’ve put in your power,^[af] so that you may do them before Pharaoh. But I’ll harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. ²² You are to say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Israel is my firstborn son. ²³ And I say to you, ‘Let my son go so he may serve me. If you refuse to let him go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”’”

Zipporah Circumcises Moses’ Son

²⁴ But later on, at the lodging place along the way, the Lord met Moses^[ag] and was about to kill him. ²⁵ Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’^[ah] feet with it, saying while doing so,^[ai] “…because you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” ²⁶ Then the Lord^[aj] withdrew from him, and she said, “…a bridegroom of blood because of circumcision.”

Moses and Aaron Meet and Return to Egypt

²⁷ The Lord told Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the desert.” So Aaron^[ak] went, found^[al] him at the mountain of God, and embraced^[am] him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all of the Lord’s messages that he had sent with Moses, and all of the signs that he commanded him to do.^{[an] 29} Later, Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke everything that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Moses^[ao] performed the miracles^[ap] before the very eyes of the people. ³¹ The people believed and understood^[aq] that the Lord had paid attention to the Israelis and had seen their affliction. They bowed their heads and prostrated themselves in worship.

Pharaoh Refuses to Let the People Go

5 After Moses and Aaron arrived, they told Pharaoh, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so they may make a pilgrimage for me in the desert.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to^[ar] him and let Israel go? I don’t know about^[as] the Lord, nor will I let Israel go!”

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God so he does not strike us with pestilence or sword.”^[at]

⁴ The king of Egypt replied to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping the people from their labor? Go back to your work!”^{[au] 5} Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people in the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”^[av]

Pharaoh Increases the Israelis’ Work

⁶ That day Pharaoh ordered the taskmasters of the people and their officials, ⁷ “You’re no longer to give the people straw for making bricks, as in the past.^[aw] They must gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But you’re to impose the previous quota^[ax] of bricks that they’re making. You’re not to reduce it! It is because they’re lazy that they’re crying out, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to our God.’ ⁹ So increase the work load on the people,^[ay] and let them do it so they don’t pay attention to deceptive speeches.”

¹⁰ Then the taskmasters of the people and their officials went out and told the people, “This is Pharaoh’s response: ‘I’ll no longer give you any^[az] straw. ¹¹ Go get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work quotas won’t be reduced at all.’”^{[ba] 12} So the people scattered throughout the entire land of Egypt to collect stubble^[bb] for straw.

¹³ The taskmasters pressured them by saying, “Finish your work—each day’s quota^[bc]—just as when you were given straw.”^[bd]

¹⁴ The Israeli supervisors whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had appointed over them were beaten and told,^[be] “Why didn’t you, both yesterday and today, fulfill^[bf] your quota^[bg] for making bricks as before?”

The Israelis’ Appeal Rejected by Pharaoh

¹⁵ The Israeli supervisors came and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you doing this to us?^{[bh] 16} No straw is being given to us, yet they’re saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, we are being beaten. It’s wrong how you are treating your people!”

¹⁷ Then Pharaoh^[bi] said, “You are lazy, lazy! That’s why^[bj] you’re saying, ‘Let’s go offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now, go! Get to work! And straw won’t be given to you, but you are to deliver the same^[bk] number of bricks!” ¹⁹ The Israeli supervisors realized they were in trouble when he said,^[bl] “You won’t reduce each day’s quota of bricks!”^[bm]

The Israelis Blame Moses and Moses Complains to God

²⁰ As they left Pharaoh’s presence,^[bn] they met Moses and Aaron standing there.^{[bo] 21} The supervisors^[bp] told them, “May the Lord look on you and judge you!^[bq] You have made us repulsive to^[br] Pharaoh and his servants. You have put^[bs] a sword in their hands to kill us.”

True Greatness^(A)

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom from^[a] heaven?”

² Calling a little child forward, he had him stand among them. ³ Then he said, “I tell all of you^[b] with certainty, unless you change^[c] and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from^[d] heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from^[e] heaven, ⁵ and whoever receives a little child like this in my name receives me.”

Causing Others to Sin^(B)

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a large millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned at the bottom of the sea. ⁷ How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

⁸ “So if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life injured or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell^[f] fire.

¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man came to save the lost.”^[g]

The Parable about the Faithful Shepherd^(C)

¹² “What do you think? If a man has 100 sheep and one of them strays, he leaves the 99 in the hills and goes to look for the one that has strayed, doesn’t he? ¹³ If he finds it, I tell all of you^[h] with certainty that he rejoices over it more than over the 99 that haven’t strayed. ¹⁴ In the same way, it is not the will of your^[i] Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

Dealing with a Brother who Sins^(D)

¹⁵ “If your brother sins against you,^[j] go and confront him while the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. ¹⁶ But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two others with you so that ‘every word may be confirmed by the testimony^[k] of two or three witnesses.’^{[l] 17} If, however, he ignores them, tell it to the congregation.^[m] If he also ignores the congregation,^[n] regard him as an unbeliever^[o] and a tax collector.

¹⁸ “I tell all of you^[p] with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited^[q] in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted^[r] in heaven. ¹⁹ Furthermore, I tell all of you^[s] with certainty that if two of you agree on earth about anything you request, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven, ²⁰ because where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.”

The Delights of Marital Faithfulness

Moses Kills an Egyptian

¹¹ Years later, after^[a] Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people,^[b] and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people.^{[c] 12} Looking around and seeing no one else, he killed^[d] the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ Going out the next day, Moses noticed^[e] two Hebrew men fighting right in front of him. He told the one who was at fault, “Why did you strike your companion?”

¹⁴ The man^[f] replied, “Who appointed you to be an official judge over us? Are you planning^[g] to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?”

Then Moses became terrified and told himself,^[h] “Certainly this event has become known!”

Moses Flees to Midian

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh, settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. ¹⁶ Meanwhile, the seven daughters of a certain Midianite priest would come to draw water in order to fill water troughs for their father’s sheep. ¹⁷ Some shepherds came to drive them away, but Moses got up, came to their rescue, and watered their sheep. ¹⁸ When they returned to their father Reuel,^[i] he asked, “Why have you returned so quickly today?”

¹⁹ “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,”^[j] they replied, “and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep!”

²⁰ “Then where is he?” He asked his daughters. “Why did you leave the man behind? Go invite him to have something to eat.”^[k]

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.^{[l] 22} Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses^[m] named him Gershom,^[n] because he used to say, “I became an alien in a foreign land.”

The Israelis Cry Out to God

²³ The king of Egypt eventually^[o] died, and the Israelis groaned because of the bondage. They cried out, and their cry for deliverance from slavery ascended to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ God watched the Israelis and took notice of them.

God Calls Moses

3 Meanwhile, Moses continued tending the sheep that belonged to his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the sheep to the western^[p] desert and came to Horeb,^[q] God’s mountain, where^{[r] 2} the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire from the center of a bush. As Moses^[s] continued to watch, amazingly the bush kept on burning, but was not consumed. ³ Then Moses told himself,^[t] “I’ll go over and see this remarkable^[u] sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from the center of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

He said, “Here I am.”

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God^[v] said. “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The Lord said, “I have certainly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry caused by their slave masters. I really do understand their pain, ⁸ so I have come down to deliver them from their domination by^[w] the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the territory^[x] of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹ Now, listen carefully! The cry of the Israelis has come to my attention about how severely the Egyptians have been oppressing them. ¹⁰ So go! I am sending you to Pharaoh. Bring my people the Israelis out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses told God, “Who am I? How can I go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelis out of Egypt?”

¹² Then God^[y] said, “I certainly will be with you. And this will be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will serve God on this mountain.”

¹³ Moses told God, “Look! When I go to the Israelis and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ they’ll say to me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I say to them?”

¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,”^[z] and then said, “Tell the Israelis: ‘I AM sent me to you.’”

¹⁵ God also told Moses, “Tell the Israelis, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

¹⁶ “Go and gather the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of your ancestors, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and he said, “I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ I have said that I will bring you out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

¹⁸ “The elders of Israel^[aa] will listen to you,^[ab] and then you and they^[ac] are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now, let us take a three-day journey into the desert to sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹ I know that the king of Egypt won’t allow you to go unless compelled to do so by force,^{[ad] 20} so I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that he will release you. ²¹ I will grant this people public favor with the Egyptians, and as a result, when you leave you won’t go empty-handed. ²² Each woman is to ask her neighbor or any foreign^[ae] woman in her house for articles of gold and for clothing, and use them to clothe your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”

¹⁰ So the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

¹¹ He answered them, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things. ¹² But I tell you that Elijah has already come, yet people^[a] did not recognize him and treated him just as they pleased. In the same way, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he had been speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon^(A)

¹⁴ As they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus,^[b] knelt down in front of him, ¹⁵ and said, “Sir,^[c] have mercy on my son, because he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. Often he falls into fire and often into water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverted generation! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me!” ¹⁸ Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed that very hour.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰ He told them, “Because of your lack of faith.^[d] I tell all of you^[e] with certainty, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. ²¹ But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.”^[f]

Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(B)

²² While they were gathering together^[g] in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. ²³ They will kill him, but he will be raised on the third day.” Then they were filled with grief.

Questions about the Temple Tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax^[h] came up to Peter and asked, “Your teacher pays the temple tax,^[i] doesn’t he?”

²⁵ He answered, “Yes.”

When Peter^[j] went home,^[k] Jesus spoke to him first and asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings on the earth collect tolls or tributes? From their own subjects,^[l] or from foreigners?”

²⁶ “From foreigners,” he replied.

So Jesus told him, “In that case, the subjects^[m] are exempt. ²⁷ However, so that we don’t offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, open its mouth, and you will find a coin.^[n] Take it and give it to them for me and you.”

To the Director: To the tune of^[a] “Doe of the Dawn”.

A Davidic Psalm.

God Delivers His Suffering Servant