Old/New Testament
The Children of Israel in Egypt[a]
Oppression of the Israelites[b]
Chapter 1
1 [c]These are the names of the children of Israel who entered Egypt with Joseph, each of them arriving with his family: 2 [d]Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 The total number of those born to Jacob was seventy.[e] Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 [f]Now Joseph died and then all his brothers and all that generation. 7 The children of Israel multiplied and grew numerous and very powerful and filled the land.
Harsh Condition of the Children of Israel.[g] 8 Then a new king arose in Egypt who had not known Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the children of Israel are very numerous and more powerful than we are. 10 Let us deal wisely with them lest they continue to multiply. Otherwise, if there were a war, they would join our enemies and battle against us and then escape from the land.”
11 So taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to wear them down with forced labor. They built the supply cities[h] of Pithom and Raameses for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and grew beyond measure. The Egyptians began to dread the presence of the children of Israel 13 and therefore put them to work, treating them harshly. 14 They made their lives difficult and forced them to make clay bricks and to do all kinds of work in the fields. They forced them to do every type of harsh work.
15 Command to the Midwives. The king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other named Puah, 16 “When you assist the Hebrew women who are in labor, look at the child while it is still on the birthing stool. If it is a boy, kill it. If it is a girl, you can let it live.” 17 But the midwives feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt had ordered them to do. They let the babies live.
18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the babies live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians. They are full of life. Before the midwife arrives, they have already given birth.”
20 God blessed the midwives. The people grew and became very numerous. 21 God gave the midwives numerous families because they had feared God. 22 Pharaoh therefore gave this command to all of his people: “Every male son who is born to the Hebrews is to be thrown into the Nile, but let the girl babies live.”
The Liberator Raised Up by God
Chapter 2
Moses Is Saved.[i] 1 There was a certain man from the tribe of Levi who took a daughter of the tribe of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was handsome and she hid him for three months. 3 But, not being able to hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus, caulked it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the baby in it and lay it among the reeds growing on the riverbank of the Nile. 4 The baby’s sister[j] hid herself so that she could watch what would happen from a distance.
5 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe while her attendants walked along the riverbank. They saw the basket among the reeds and sent a slave to fetch it. 6 They opened it and saw the baby. It was a small baby boy who was crying. They had compassion on it and said, “This is a Hebrew baby.”
7 The sister of the baby said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go to call a wet nurse from among the Hebrew women to feed the child for you?”
8 “Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter. The girl went and called the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby with you and feed it for me. I will pay you.” The woman took the baby and fed it. 10 When the baby was grown, she brought it to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became a son to her and she named him Moses, saying, “I have saved him from the water.”[k]
11 Moses Flees to Midian.[l] One day Moses, having grown up,[m] went out to his brethren and saw how they were oppressed. He noticed an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 Looking around, he did not see anyone, so he struck and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out again and, seeing two Hebrews fighting, said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why did you hit your brother?” 14 He answered, “Who has made you head and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me like you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and thought, “Certainly this thing is known.” 15 Pharaoh heard about it and sought to put Moses to death. Moses fled from Pharaoh and traveled to the land of Midian[n] where he sat down by a well.
16 A priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water to fill the trough and give water to their father’s flocks. 17 But some shepherds arrived and chased them away. Moses got up and defended them and gave their animals something to drink. 18 They returned to their father Reuel[o] who said to them, “Why are you back so soon today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds. He drew water for us and gave water to the flock to drink.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave him there? Invite him to eat with us.” 21 Moses agreed to live with that man, who gave him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. 22 She bore him a son and he named his son Gershom for he said, “I am a stranger in a strange land.”[p]
23 God Does Not Forget the Covenant.[q] And it came to pass that the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery, and they cried out. The cry of their bondage rose up to God. 24 God heard their cry and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God took note of the children of Israel and acknowledged their need.
The Burning Bush[r]
Chapter 3
The Call of Moses.[s] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[t] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[u] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. 3 Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”
4 The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.[v]
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,[w] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. 9 The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. 10 Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”
11 Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I am with you. Behold, this is proof that I have sent you, when you will lead the people from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”
13 God Reveals His Name.[x] Moses said to God, “If I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ but they say to me, ‘What is his name,’ what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[y] Then he said, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘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. This is the title with which I will be remembered from one generation to the next.”
16 Moses Is Invested with His Mission.[z]“Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me,[aa] the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, saying, “I have seen you and what is done to you in Egypt. 17 I have said, ‘I will make them go out from the humiliation 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 “They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Let us make a three days’ journey into the desert to make a sacrifice to the Lord, our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to leave unless he is forced. 20 I will therefore stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will work in their midst. Afterward, they will let you go.
21 “I will make this people find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. When you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every woman will ask her neighbor and those living in her house for silver and gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”
Chapter 14
John the Baptist, Herod, and Jesus.[a] 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch[b] heard reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead. That is why such powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had ordered the arrest of John, put him in chains, and imprisoned him on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 For John had told him, “It is against the law for you to have her.”
5 Herod wanted to put John to death, but he was afraid of the people because they regarded John as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias[c] danced in front of the guests, and she pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her anything she asked for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests present there, he ordered that her request be granted. 10 He had John beheaded in the prison.[d] 11 The head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and removed the body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
13 Jesus Feeds Five Thousand Men.[e]When Jesus received this news, he withdrew from there in a boat by himself to a deserted place, but when the people learned of it, they followed him on foot from the towns.[f] 14 When he came ashore and saw the vast crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were sick.
15 When evening approached, the disciples came up to him and said, “This is a deserted place and the hour is now late. Send the people away now so that they can go to the villages to buy some food for themselves.” 16 Jesus replied, “There is no need for them to depart. Give them something to eat yourselves.” 17 But they answered, “All we have here are five loaves of bread and two fish.” 18 Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.”
19 Then he ordered the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.[g] 20 They all ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up the fragments that were left over—twelve full baskets. 21 Those who had eaten numbered about five thousand men, in addition to women and children.[h]
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