The Daily Audio Bible
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The Lord Promises to Save the Israelites
22 Moses returned to talk to the Lord. He said to him, “Why, Lord? Why have you brought trouble on these people? Is this why you sent me? 23 I went to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name. Ever since then, he has brought nothing but trouble on these people. And you haven’t saved your people at all.”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my powerful hand, he will let the people of Israel go. Because of my mighty hand, he will drive them out of his country.”
2 God continued, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the Mighty God. But I did not show them the full meaning of my name, The Lord. 4 I also made my covenant with them. I promised to give them the land of Canaan. That is where they lived as outsiders. 5 Also, I have heard the groans of the Israelites. The Egyptians are keeping them as slaves. But I have remembered my covenant.
6 “So tell the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord. I will throw off the heavy load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders. I will set you free from being slaves to them. I will reach out my arm and save you with mighty acts when I judge Egypt. 7 I will take you to be my own people. I will be your God. I throw off the load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. 8 I will bring you to the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I lifted up my hand and promised it to them. The land will belong to you. I am the Lord.’ ”
9 Moses reported these things to the Israelites. But they didn’t listen to him. That’s because they had lost all hope and had to work very hard.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel leave his country.”
12 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people won’t listen to me. So why would Pharaoh listen to me? After all, I don’t speak very well.”
The Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13 The Lord had spoken to Moses and Aaron. He had talked with them about the Israelites and about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He had commanded Moses and Aaron to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.
14 Here were the leaders of the family groups of Reuben, Simeon and Levi.
Reuben was the oldest son of Israel. Reuben’s sons were
Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.
These were the family groups of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a woman from Canaan.
These were the family groups of Simeon.
16 Here are the names of the sons of Levi written in their family record. They were
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
Levi lived for 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon, by their family groups, were
Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath were
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
Kohath lived for 133 years.
19 The sons of Merari were
Mahli and Mushi.
These are the family groups of Levi written in their family record.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed. Aaron and Moses were members of Amram’s family line.
Amram lived for 137 years.
21 The sons of Izhar were
Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were
Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. She had Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar by Aaron.
24 The sons of Korah were
Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph.
These were the family groups of Korah.
25 Eleazar, the son of Aaron, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She had Phinehas by Eleazar.
These are the leaders of the families of Levi. Their names are written in their family records.
26 The Lord had spoken to this same Aaron and Moses. He had told them, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt like an army on the march.” 27 They spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was this same Moses and Aaron.
Aaron Speaks for Moses
28 The Lord had spoken to Moses in Egypt. 29 He had told him, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses said to the Lord, “I don’t speak very well. So why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be like a prophet to you. 2 You must say everything I command you to say. Then your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. 3 But I will make Pharaoh stubborn. I will multiply the signs and amazing things I will do in Egypt. 4 In spite of that, he will not listen to you. So I will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march. 5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will reach out my powerful hand against them. I will bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.”
6 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. 7 Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake
8 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. 9 He said, “Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Do a miracle.’ When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.’ It will turn into a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw the stick down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and people who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. 12 Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake. But Aaron’s walking stick swallowed theirs up. 13 In spite of that, Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh is very stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. 15 In the morning Pharaoh will go down to the Nile River. Go and meet him on the bank of the river. Take in your hand the walking stick that turned into a snake. 16 Say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me in the desert. But up to now you have not listened.” 17 The Lord says, “Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with the walking stick that is in my hand. The river will turn into blood. 18 The fish in the river will die. The river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” ’ ”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Get your walking stick. Reach your hand out over the waters of Egypt. The streams, canals, ponds and all the lakes will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt. It will even be in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’ ”
20 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all the water turned into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. So Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Even that miracle didn’t change Pharaoh’s mind. In fact, he turned around and went into his palace. 24 All the Egyptians dug holes near the Nile River to get drinking water. They couldn’t drink water from the river.
The Plague of Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile River.
The Servant Who Had No Mercy
21 Peter came to Jesus. He asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.
23 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to collect all the money his servants owed him. 24 As the king began to do it, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold was brought to him. 25 The man was not able to pay. So his master gave an order. The man, his wife, his children, and all he owned had to be sold to pay back what he owed.
26 “Then the servant fell on his knees in front of him. ‘Give me time,’ he begged. ‘I’ll pay everything back.’ 27 His master felt sorry for him. He forgave him what he owed and let him go.
28 “But then that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.
29 “The other servant fell on his knees. ‘Give me time,’ he begged him. ‘I’ll pay it back.’
30 “But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison. The man would be held there until he could pay back what he owed. 31 The other servants saw what had happened and were very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the first servant in. ‘You evil servant,’ he said. ‘I forgave all that you owed me because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.
35 “This is how my Father in heaven will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Jesus Teaches About Divorce
19 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee. He went into the area of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River. 2 Large crowds followed him. He healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?”
4 Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read that in the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’? (Genesis 1:27) 5 He said, ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) 6 They are no longer two, but one. So no one should separate what God has joined together.”
7 They asked, “Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses let you divorce your wives because you were stubborn. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 Here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him.”
10 Here is what the disciples said to him. “If that’s the way it is between a husband and wife, it is better not to get married.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept the idea of staying single. Only those who have been helped to live without getting married can accept it. 12 Some men are not able to have children because they were born that way. Some have been made that way by other people. Others have chosen to live that way in order to serve the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need.
2 He lets me lie down in fields of green grass.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths
for the honor of his name.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid.
You are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff
comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
right in front of my enemies.
You pour oil on my head.
My cup runs over.
6 I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life.
And I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
22 Sinners are trapped by their own evil acts.
They are held tight by the ropes of their sins.
23 They will die because they refused to be corrected.
Their sins will capture them because they were very foolish.
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