From Slavery to Divine Calling

1. Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came into Egypt (every man and his household came with Jacob): 2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3. Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4. Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5. All the souls who came out of Jacob’s body were seventy souls, and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6. Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation. 7. The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 9. He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10. Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land.” 11. Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. 12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13. The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 14. and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve. 15. The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 16. and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17. But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. 18. The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?” 19. The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20. God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21. Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22. Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.” 1. A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 2. The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3. When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4. His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him. 5. Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her servant to get it. 6. She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” 8. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” The young woman went and called the child’s mother. 9. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” The woman took the child, and nursed it. 10. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” 11. In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. 12. He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13. He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?” 14. He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid, and said, “Surely this thing is known.” 15. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. 16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. 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 helped them, and watered their flock. 18. When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, “How is it that you have returned so early today?” 19. They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.” 20. He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21. Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter. 22. She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23. In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25. God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them. 1. Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb. 2. Yahweh’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3. Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4. When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.” 5. He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.” 6. Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God. 7. Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8. 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 large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9. Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11. Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12. He said, “Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13. Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?” 14. God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15. God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, 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 this is my memorial to all generations. 16. Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; 17. and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18. They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.’ 19. I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20. I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do among them, and after that he will let you go. 21. I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. 22. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”

1. Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. 2. Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. 3. For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same, 4. for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil. 5. Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6. For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, attending continually on this very thing. 7. Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 8. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10. Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. 11. Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed. 12. The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light. 13. Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. 14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts. 1. Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions. 2. One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3. Don’t let him who eats despise him who doesn’t eat. Don’t let him who doesn’t eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. 4. Who are you who judge another’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand. 5. One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. 6. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn’t eat, to the Lord he doesn’t eat, and gives God thanks. 7. For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. 8. For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9. For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11. For it is written, “‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.’” 12. So then each one of us will give account of himself to God. 13. Therefore let’s not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion for falling. 14. I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15. Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don’t destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16. Then don’t let your good be slandered, 17. for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19. So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up. 20. Don’t overthrow God’s work for food’s sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating. 21. It is good to not eat meat, drink wine, nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak. 22. Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn’t judge himself in that which he approves. 23. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn’t of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin. 24. Now to him who is able to establish you according to my Good News and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret through long ages, 25. but now is revealed, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known for obedience of faith to all the nations; 26. to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

1. Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed. 2. You who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3. Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions. 4. Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5. By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea; 6. Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength; 7. who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 8. They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy. 9. You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it. 10. You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop. 11. You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance. 12. The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness. 13. The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.