Matthew 10:21-42
[21]
Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child,
and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, [22]
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures
to the end will be saved. [23] When they persecute you in one town,
flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone
through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
[24]
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
[25] It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the
servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
[26]
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be
revealed, or hidden that will not be known. [27] What I tell you in the
dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the
housetops. [28] And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
[29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] But even the hairs of
your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are of more
value than many sparrows. [32] So everyone who acknowledges me before
men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, [33] but
whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is
in heaven.
[34]
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not
come to bring peace, but a sword. [35] For I have come to set a man
against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. [36] And a person’s enemies
will be those of his own household. [37] Whoever loves father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me. [38] And whoever does not take his cross
and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose
it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
[40]
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him
who sent me. [41] The one who receives a prophet because he is a
prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a
righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a
righteous person’s reward. [42] And whoever gives one of these little
ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to
you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Acts 15:22-41
[22]
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole
church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul
and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men
among the brothers, [23] with the following letter: “The brothers, both
the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in
Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. [24] Since we have heard that
some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words,
unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, [25] it
has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send
them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, [26] men who have
risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [27] We have
therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same
things by word of mouth. [28] For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: [29]
that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood,
and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you
keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
[30]
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having
gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. [31] And
when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. [32]
And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and
strengthened the brothers with many words. [33] And after they had spent
some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had
sent them. [35] But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and
preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
[36]
And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the
brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and
see how they are.” [37] Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John
called Mark. [38] But Paul thought best not to take with them one who
had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the
work. [39] And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated
from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
[40] but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the
brothers to the grace of the Lord. [41] And he went through Syria and
Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Psalm 24
A Psalm of David.
[1] The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
[2] for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
[3] Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
[4] He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
[5] He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
[6] Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
[7] Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
[8] Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle!
[9] Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
[10] Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory! Selah
Exodus 1
[1]
These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob,
each with his household: [2] Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, [3]
Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, [4] Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
[5] All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was
already in Egypt. [6] Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all
that generation. [7] But the people of Israel were fruitful and
increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that
the land was filled with them.
[8]
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. [9] And
he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and
too mighty for us. [10] Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they
multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight
against us and escape from the land.” [11] Therefore they set
taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for
Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. [12] But the more they were
oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And
the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. [13] So they
ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves [14] and made their
lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of
work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as
slaves.
[15]
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was
named Shiphrah and the other Puah, [16] “When you serve as midwife to
the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you
shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” [17] But the
midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them,
but let the male children live. [18] So the king of Egypt called the
midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male
children live?” [19] The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew
women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give
birth before the midwife comes to them.” [20] So God dealt well with the
midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. [21] And
because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. [22] Then
Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews
you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
Exodus 2
[1]
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite
woman. [2] The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he
was a fine child, she hid him three months. [3] When she could hide him
no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it
with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the
reeds by the river bank. [4] And his sister stood at a distance to know
what would be done to him. [5] Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to
bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She
saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took
it. [6] When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was
crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’
children.” [7] Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go
and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
[8] And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and
called the child’s mother. [9] And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take
this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.”
So the woman took the child and nursed him. [10] When the child grew
older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She
named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
[11]
One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked
on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his
people. [12] He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck
down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] When he went out the
next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to
the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” [14] He
answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to
kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought,
“Surely the thing is known.” [15] When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought
to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of
Midian. And he sat down by a well.
[16]
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew
water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. [17] The
shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them,
and watered their flock. [18] When they came home to their father Reuel,
he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” [19] They
said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and
even drew water for us and watered the flock.” [20] He said to his
daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that
he may eat bread.” [21] And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and
he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. [22] She gave birth to a son, and
he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a
foreign land.”
[23]
During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel
groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for
rescue from slavery came up to God. [24] And God heard their groaning,
and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with
Jacob. [25] God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
Exodus 3
[1]
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the
priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the
wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] And the angel of
the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
[3] And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the
bush is not burned.” [4] When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I
am.” [5] Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your
feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” [6] And
he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid
to look at God.
[7]
Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who
are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I
know their sufferings, [8] and I have come down to deliver them out of
the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a
good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of
the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the
Hivites, and the Jebusites. [9] And now, behold, the cry of the people
of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which
the Egyptians oppress them. [10] Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that
you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” [11] But
Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
children of Israel out of Egypt?” [12] He said, “But I will be with you,
and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have
brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
[13]
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to
them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me,
‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” [14] God said to Moses,
“I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM
has sent me to you.’” [15] God also said to Moses, “Say this to the
people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’
This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all
generations. [16] Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to
them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac,
and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what
has been done to you in Egypt, [17] and I promise that I will bring you
up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a
land flowing with milk and honey.”’ [18] And they will listen to your
voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt
and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and
now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we
may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ [19] But I know that the king of
Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. [20] So I
will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I
will do in it; after that he will let you go. [21] And I will give this
people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall
not go empty, [22] but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any
woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for
clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you
shall plunder the Egyptians.”
