Acts 14:13-28

Acts 14

¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the city gates, because he wanted to offer sacrifices along with the crowds.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Paul and Barnabas heard about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men with the same nature as you. We are preaching the good news to you so that you turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he allowed all the nations to go their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without testimony of the good he does. He gives you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. He fills you with food and fills your hearts with gladness.” ¹⁸ Even though they said these things, they had a hard time stopping the crowds from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the crowds to stone Paul. When they thought he was dead, they dragged him out of the city. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he stood up and went into the city. The next day, he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

The Return to Antioch

²¹ After they preached the good news in that city and had gathered many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. They told them, “We must go through many troubles on our way to the kingdom of God.” ²³ They had elders elected ^[1] for them in every church, and with prayer and fasting they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they believed. ²⁴ When they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ When they had spoken the Word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

²⁶ From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been entrusted to the grace of God for the work they had just completed. ²⁷ When they arrived and called the church together, they reported everything God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith for the Gentiles. ²⁸ Then they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Acts 13:44-52

Acts 13

⁴⁴ On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God. ^{[1] 45} But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with envy and began to contradict what Paul was saying by slandering him. ^[2]

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas responded fearlessly, “It was necessary that God’s word be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, look: We are now turning to the Gentiles! ⁴⁷ For this is what the Lord has instructed us:

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were rejoicing and praising the word of the Lord. All who had been appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being carried through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust off their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² The disciples continued to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Exodus 18

Jethro Visits Moses

¹ Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, priest of Midian, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

² After Moses had sent his wife Zipporah away, his father-in-law Jethro had taken her in, ³ along with her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, ^[1] for Moses had said, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” ⁴ The name of the other was Eliezer, ^[2] for he had said, “My father’s God was my helper, and he has delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.”

⁵ Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, Moses’ sons, and his wife were coming to Moses in the wilderness where he had camped at the mountain of God. ⁶ He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, your wife, and her two sons are coming to you.”

⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other how they had been, ^[3] and they went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law about everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, about all the hardships that had confronted them along the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good things that the Lord had done for Israel when he delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and the hand of Pharaoh. Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered the people out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because he did this to those who acted arrogantly against the Israelites.”

¹² Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

¹³ The next day Moses sat down to serve as a judge for the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything that he did for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. ¹⁶ Whenever there is a dispute between them, they come to me, and I judge between the two sides, and I reveal the regulations of God and his laws.”

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, for the work is too much for you. You are not able to handle this alone. ¹⁹ Listen to me now. I will give you advice, and may God be with you. Represent the people before God, and bring their disputes to God. ²⁰ Instruct them about the regulations and laws, and show them the way they are to live and the things that they are to do. ²¹ But you should select capable men from among all the people, God-fearing, trustworthy men, who hate dishonest gain. Then place them over the people as officials over groups of a thousand, a hundred, fifty, or ten. ²² Have them judge all the disputes of the people at the first level. They can refer any difficult case to you, but every easy case they can judge themselves. Make your load lighter; they can carry it with you. ²³ If you will do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will also return home satisfied.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all of Israel and made them leaders over the people: officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. ²⁶ They judged all the cases of the people initially. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but every easy case they judged themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he returned to his own land.

Exodus 15:22 – 16:36

Exodus 15

The Waters of Marah and Elim

²² Then Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days in the wilderness but found no water. ²³ When they came to Marah, they were not able to drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. That is why they named the place Marah. ^{[1] 24} The people grumbled against Moses, and they said, “What will we drink?” ²⁵ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him some wood. Moses threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord made a decree and ruling for them, and there he tested them. ²⁶ So he said, “If only you would listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his eyes, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his regulations, I would not place on you any of the diseases that I placed on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

²⁷ Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.

The Lord Provides Manna and Quail

Exodus 16

¹ On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the entire Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, ^[2] which is between Elim and Sinai. ² The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted, but now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Watch what I will do. I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether they will follow my instructions or not. ⁵ On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the Glory of the Lord, because he has heard your constant grumbling against the Lord. Who are we that you should grumble against us?”

⁸ Moses said, “Now the Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because the Lord has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling.’” ¹⁰ As Aaron spoke to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and suddenly the Glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Say to them, ‘At evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ So in the evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew surrounded the camp. ¹⁴ When the layer of dew was gone, there were thin flakes on the surface of the wilderness, thin as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” ^[3] because they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given to you as food to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: All of them are to gather as much of it as they need to eat. You are to take an omer ^[4] per person based on the number of people each of you has in your tents.”

¹⁷ The Israelites did this, and some gathered more, some less. ¹⁸ When they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered more did not have too much, and the one who gathered less did not have too little. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left part of it until morning, and it became full of worms and stank. So Moses was angry with them.

²¹ They gathered it each morning. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person, and all the leaders of the community came and reported to Moses. ²³ He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy sabbath ^[5] to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, but set aside for yourselves all the rest of it to be kept until morning.”

²⁴ So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵ Moses said, “Today eat whatever is left over, for today is a sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find any around the camp. ^{[6] 26} Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they did not find any. ²⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “How long will you people refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? ²⁹ Look, the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. All of you are to stay where you are. None of you are to leave your places on the seventh day.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The house of Israel called it manna. ^[7] It looked like white coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: A full omer ^[8] of it is to be kept throughout your generations so that they may see the bread which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

³³ Moses said to Aaron, “Take a container, and put a full omer of manna in it. Place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.” ³⁴ To obey the Lord’s command to Moses, Aaron placed an omer before the Testimony, ^[9] to be preserved. ³⁵ The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (An omer, by the way, is one-tenth of an ephah.)

Exodus 12:37 – 13:22

Exodus 12

³⁷ The Israelites set out from Rameses to Sukkoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides their families. ³⁸ A mixed group of non-Israelites also went up along with them, as well as a large amount of livestock, both flocks and herds. ³⁹ The Israelites baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, for it had not been leavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay. They also had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ The amount of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. ⁴¹ At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the very day, all of the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It was a night that the Lord kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is dedicated to the Lord. All the Israelites are to keep vigil throughout their generations.

Passover Restrictions

⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the regulation concerning the Passover: No foreigner may eat it. ⁴⁴ But any slave whom you have purchased may eat it if you circumcise him. ⁴⁵ A temporary resident or a hired servant may not eat it. ⁴⁶ It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones. ⁴⁷ The whole community of Israel shall do this. ⁴⁸ If a resident alien among you wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, every male in his household must be circumcised. Then he may take part in it. He will be treated like a native-born of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. ⁴⁹ The same law will apply to the native-born and to the alien who resides among you.” ⁵⁰ So that is what all the Israelites did. They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ That same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, lined up by their divisions.

Instructions for Remembering the Passover

Exodus 13

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Set apart all the firstborn for me, the firstborn of every mother ^[1] among the Israelites, both people and animals. The firstborn belongs to me.”

³ Then Moses said this to the people:

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way that goes to the land of the Philistines, although it was more direct, for God said, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ So God led the people by the way that goes through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. ^[5] The Israelites went up from the land of Egypt in battle formation.

¹⁹ Moses also took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. Joseph had said, “God will surely come to your aid. Then you must bring up my bones with you from Egypt.” ²⁰ They set out from Sukkoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on their way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. In this way they could travel by day and by night. ²² The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.

Exodus 10 – 11

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

Exodus 10

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart unyielding, and his officials’ hearts too, so that I may perform these signs of mine in their midst, ² and so that you may tell your children and your grandchildren how harshly I dealt with Egypt and about my signs which I did among them. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go so that they may serve me. ⁴ But if you refuse to let my people go, watch out, because tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ They will cover the surface of the ground so that no one will be able to see the ground. The locusts will eat what little you have left after the hail. They will also eat every tree that you have growing in the field. ⁶ Your houses, your officials’ houses, and every Egyptian’s house will be filled with them, something neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, from the day that they settled in this land up to this day.” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷ Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go so that they may serve the Lord, their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”

⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But who exactly would be going?”

⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters. We will go with our flocks and herds, for we are celebrating a festival to the Lord.”

¹⁰ But he said to them, “May the Lord be with you if I would ever let you and your families go! I see you are determined to do evil. ¹¹ No! The men may go and serve the Lord, for that is what you have been asking for!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² So the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt so that locusts come up over the land and eat every plant in the land, everything left by the hail.”

¹³ Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow over the land all that day and all through the night. When morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts. ¹⁴ The locusts came up over the entire land of Egypt and settled down in the entire territory of Egypt. There had never been such a large number of locusts before, and there would never be again. ¹⁵ They covered the surface of the ground so completely that the land was dark. They ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees—everything left after the hail. Nothing green was left on the trees or on the plants in the field throughout the entire land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now please forgive my sin once more, and plead to the Lord your God so that he may also remove this death from me.”

¹⁸ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. ¹⁹ The Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. That wind lifted up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not one locust remained in the entire territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart hard, and he did not let the Israelites go.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness that can be felt.” ²² Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. ²³ No one could see anyone else, and for three days none of them moved from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.

²⁴ Pharaoh called to Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord. Even your families may also go with you. But you must leave your flocks and herds behind.”

²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also let us take sacrifices with us and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our livestock must also go with us. Not a hoof is to be left behind, for we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God. We will not know, however, what we will need to serve the Lord until we get there.”

²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die!”

²⁹ Moses said, “Just as you have spoken: I will never see your face again.”

The Tenth Plague: The Death of the Firstborn

Exodus 11

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will certainly drive you completely out of here. ² Now tell the people that both the men and the women are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” ³ (The Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Even the man Moses was highly regarded in the land of Egypt in the sight of Pharaoh’s officials and the people.)

⁴ So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says. About midnight I will go throughout Egypt, ⁵ and every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the female slave who is behind the hand mill, even all the firstborn of the livestock. ⁶ There will be a loud outcry in the entire land of Egypt, unlike anything that happened before or anything that will take place again. ⁷ But among all the Israelites, not a dog will bark ^[1] at a person or animal, so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. ⁸ All these officials of yours will come and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, went out from Pharaoh.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart hard, and he did not let the Israelites go out of his land.

Exodus 8

The Second Plague: Frogs

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and tell him that this is what the Lord says: Let my people go so that they may serve me. ^{[1] 2} If you refuse to let them go, watch out. I will send a plague of frogs on your entire territory. ³ The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up and enter into your palace, into your bedroom, onto your bed, into your servants’ houses, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading troughs. ⁴ The frogs will come up on you, your people, and all your servants.”

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, streams, and ponds, and bring frogs up onto the land of Egypt.’” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same thing by their occult practices and brought frogs up onto the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “I give you the honor of setting the time when I should plead for you, your servants, and your people so that the Lord will rid you and your houses of the frogs. They will remain only in the Nile.”

¹⁰ Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.”

Moses replied, “It will take place just as you have said, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you and your houses, your servants, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile.”

¹² Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs, which he had brought upon Pharaoh. ¹³ The Lord did as Moses said: The frogs from the houses, courtyards, and fields died. ¹⁴ The people piled them up into heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he made his heart unyielding and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Third Plague: Lice

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Stretch out your staff, and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become lice ^[2] in the entire land of Egypt.’” ¹⁷ They did so. When Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the ground, there were lice on the people and animals. All the dust of the ground became lice in the entire land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried to produce lice by their occult practices, but they could not. So there were lice on the people and on the animals. ¹⁹ The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Fourth Plague: Swarms of Flies

²⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh as he is going out to the water. Tell him this is what the Lord says: Let my people go so that they may serve me. ²¹ For if you will not let my people go, watch out. I will send swarms of flies ^[3] on you, your servants, and your people, and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies. They will even cover the ground. ²² But on that day, I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people are living. There will not be swarms of flies in Goshen. In this way, you will know that I am the Lord on the earth. ²³ I will make a distinction ^[4] between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will take place.”

²⁴ So that is what the Lord did. Thick swarms of flies went into Pharaoh’s palace and his officials’ houses. Throughout Egypt, the land was ruined because of the swarms of flies.

²⁵ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, offer sacrifices to your God in the land!”

²⁶ But Moses said, “It is not right to do that, because the sacrifices which we will offer to the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable to the Egyptians right in front of them, won’t they stone us? ²⁷ We will go on a three-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, just as he tells us.”

²⁸ Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but do not go very far away. Plead for me.”

²⁹ Moses said, “All right. As soon as I leave you, I will plead to the Lord so that tomorrow the swarms of flies will depart from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Only do not let Pharaoh act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

³⁰ Moses went out from Pharaoh and pleaded to the Lord. ³¹ The Lord did as Moses said, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. Not a fly remained. ³² Pharaoh made his heart unyielding ^[5] this time also, and he did not let the people go.

Exodus 4:18 – 6:9

Exodus 4

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go and return to my own people, who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for everyone who wanted to kill you is dead.”

²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons, placed them on a donkey, and set out to return to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure that you perform in the presence of Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put into your hand. However, I will make his heart hard, ^[1] and he will not let the people go. ²² You will then say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord says: Israel is my son, my firstborn, ²³ and I have said to you, “Let my son go to serve me,” but you have refused to let him go. Watch out. I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”

²⁴ At a lodging place along the way, the Lord confronted him and sought to kill him. ^{[2] 25} Then Zipporah took a flint blade, cut off her son’s foreskin, and cast it at his feet. Then she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”

²⁶ So the Lord left him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

Reunion of Moses and Aaron

²⁷ The Lord had said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.”

So he went, met Moses at the mountain of God, and kissed him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words that the Lord had sent him to speak and all the signs he had commanded him to perform. ²⁹ Moses and Aaron then went and gathered together every elder of the people of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses and performed the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹ The people believed. When they heard that the Lord had paid attention to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped.

Bricks Without Straw

Exodus 5

¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. Let my people go so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I certainly will not let Israel go.”

³ They said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to the Lord, our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get back to your forced labor!” ⁵ Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from doing their forced labor.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh commanded the people’s taskmasters and overseers, ⁷ “Do not give the people straw for making bricks anymore. Let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as they made before. Do not reduce it. You see, they are lazy. That is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Make the work harder for the people so that they do their work and do not pay attention to lying words.”

¹⁰ So the people’s taskmasters and overseers went out and told the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹ Go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it. But there will be no reduction at all in your work load.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters kept insisting, “Fulfill your daily quota just as you did when straw was provided!” ¹⁴ The overseers, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had placed over the Israelites, were beaten. The taskmasters demanded, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota yesterday and today, as you did previously?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers came and cried out to Pharaoh, “Why are you doing this to your servants? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they tell us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

¹⁷ But he said, “Lazy! You are lazy! That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now go! Get to work! Straw will not be provided to you, but you will deliver the same quota of bricks!”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized that they were in trouble when Pharaoh said, “You must not reduce anything from your daily number of bricks!”

²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them. ²¹ They said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord look at you and judge you, because you have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword into their hand to kill us.”

²² So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why did you send me? ²³ Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

Exodus 6

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of a mighty hand ^[3] he will send them away, and because of a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”

God Promises Deliverance

² Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name, the Lord, I was not known to them. ^{[4] 4} I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they were residing as aliens. ⁵ I certainly have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have remembered my covenant.

⁶ “Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will deliver you from being their slaves. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you to the land which I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

⁹ Moses spoke these words to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and because of the hard labor.

Exodus 1 – 2

The Israelites Oppressed

Exodus 1

¹ These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt. Each man and his household went with Jacob: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, ⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵ The total number of Jacob’s descendants was seventy people. (Joseph was already in Egypt.)

⁶ Then Joseph died, as did all his brothers and that entire generation. ⁷ However, the Israelites were fruitful, multiplied quickly, increased in number, and became very numerous. So the land was filled with them.

⁸ Then a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ He said to his people, “Look, the Israelites are more numerous and more powerful than we are. ¹⁰ Let’s come up with a wise plan to prevent them from increasing in number. Otherwise, if war breaks out, they would join with our enemies and fight against us. Then they would leave the land.” ¹¹ So the Egyptians placed taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. The Israelites built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. ¹² But the more the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, the more they increased in number, and the more they spread out. The Egyptians were filled with dread because of them. ¹³ So the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites by forcing them to work very hard. ¹⁴ The Egyptians made the Israelites’ lives bitter with hard work, with brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were merciless in the way they imposed work on the Israelites.

¹⁵ The king of Egypt also spoke to the Hebrew midwives. One of them was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. ¹⁶ He said, “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, while they are still on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a son, you are to kill him, but if you see that it is a daughter, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God, so they did not do what the king of Egypt told them to do, but they let the boys live.

¹⁸ The king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why did you do this and let the boys live?”

¹⁹ The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women. They are vigorous, so they give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

²⁰ So God treated the midwives well. The people also increased in number and became very numerous. ²¹ Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. ²² Pharaoh, however, commanded all his people, “Every son who is born you shall throw into the Nile, but every daughter you shall let live.”

The Birth of Moses

Exodus 2

¹ Now a man from the house of Levi went and took a Levite woman as a wife. ² The woman became pregnant and bore a son. When she saw that he was a special ^[1] child, she hid him for three months. ³ When she was no longer able to hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the bank of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant girl to get it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the child. It was a boy, and he was crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.”

⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a wet nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”

⁸ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, go.”

So the young woman went and called the child’s mother to come. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you for doing it.”

So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, with the explanation, “Because I drew him up out of the water.” ^[2]

Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ After some time, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² After he looked this way and that, and he saw that no one was there, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

¹³ The next day when he went out, he came upon two Hebrew men who were fighting. He said to the one in the wrong, “Why were you striking your fellow Hebrew?”

¹⁴ The man said, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Are you planning to kill me just as you killed the Egyptian?”

Moses was afraid and thought, “What I have done has definitely become known.” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard what Moses had done, he sought to kill Moses. Moses, however, fled from Pharaoh’s presence and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and started drawing water. They filled the troughs to water their father’s flock, ¹⁷ but some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses, however, stood up and helped them. He then watered their flock. ¹⁸ When the daughters came to Reuel, their father, he said, “Why have you returned so early today?”

¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ Reuel said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why have you left the man there? Invite him to have something to eat.”

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man. The man gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses as a wife. ²² She gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he said, “I have become an alien ^[3] living in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel’s Groaning

²³ After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery. They cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God saw the people of Israel, and God watched over them.

Acts 11:19-30

Acts 11

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that took place at the time of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch and also began to speak to the Greeks, preaching the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² A report about this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go on to ^[1] Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw God’s grace, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts. ²⁴ He was a good man who was full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a large number of people were added to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. ²⁶ When he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

The Church in Antioch Sends Relief to Jerusalem

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there was going to be a severe famine all over the known world. This took place during the time of Claudius. ²⁹ Each of the disciples, according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers ^[2] who lived in Judea. ³⁰ They did this, sending it to the elders by means of Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 10:34-48

Acts 10

The Holy Spirit Comes on All Who Listen

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really am beginning to understand that God does not show favoritism, ³⁵ but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ He sent his word to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

³⁷ “You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached. ³⁸ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “Indeed, we are witnesses of all the things he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem, yet they killed him by hanging him on a cross. ^{[1] 40} But God raised him on the third day and caused him to be seen, ⁴¹ not by all the people, but by the witnesses God had already chosen—by us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that, through his name, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who were listening to the message. ⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in other languages and praising God.

Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “Certainly no one can refuse water for baptizing these people! They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ He gave directions that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.

Acts 9:32-42

Acts 9

Peter Heals Aeneas and Raises Tabitha From the Dead

³² As Peter went around from place to place, he also went down to the saints who lived in Lydda. ³³ There he found a paralyzed man named Aeneas, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat!” Immediately, he got up. ³⁵ All those who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

³⁶ In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. ^[1] She was always doing good deeds and acts of charity. ³⁷ At that time she became sick and died. After they had washed her, they laid her in an upstairs room. ³⁸ Since Lydda is near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, who urged him, “Come to us without delay!”

³⁹ Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothing that Dorcas made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰ After Peter sent them all outside, he got down on his knees and prayed. Then he turned toward the body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. After he called the saints and the widows, he presented her to them alive.

⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Acts 9:1-19a

Acts 9

Jesus Appears to Saul on the Road to Damascus

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners.

³ As he went on his way and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ He asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

He replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶ But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you need to do.”

⁷ The men traveling with him stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.

⁸ They raised Saul up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could not see anything. They took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink.

Ananias Is Sent to Saul

¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. In fact, at this very moment he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he can regain his sight.”

¹³ Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and how much harm he did to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ¹⁶ Indeed, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Ananias left and entered the house. Laying his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw on your way here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸ Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ And after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Acts 8:5-25

Acts 8

⁵ Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began preaching the Christ to them. ⁶ With one mind, the crowds paid close attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the miraculous signs he was doing. ⁷ Unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸ So there was great joy in that city.

⁹ Now there was a man by the name of Simon, who had been practicing magic arts ^[1] in the city. He amazed the people of Samaria while claiming that he was someone great. ¹⁰ They all paid attention to him, from the least of them to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” ¹¹ They paid attention to him, because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip, as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

¹³ Then even Simon himself believed. After he was baptized, he stayed close to Philip. As he observed the signs and great miracles that were taking place, he was amazed.

The Apostles Send Peter and John to Samaria

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵ When Peter and John arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ for he had not yet come upon any of them. They had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Holy ^[2] Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me this power too, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ²⁰ But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right in God’s sight. ²² So repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord. Perhaps the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are filled with bitter poison and chained by wickedness.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵ After Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.