Today's Reading

¹The Lord said to Moses, "Yet one plague more will I bring on Pharaoh, and on Egypt; afterwards he will let you go. When he lets you go, he will surely thrust you out altogether.

²Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold."

³The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people.

⁴Moses said, "This is what the Lord says: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt,

⁵and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of livestock.

⁶There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor shall be any more.

⁷But against any of the children of Israel a dog won't even bark or move its tongue, against man or animal; that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.

⁸All these your servants shall come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, "Get out, with all the people who follow you;" and after that I will go out.'" He went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

⁹The Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt."

¹⁰Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

¹The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

²"This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.

³Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household;

⁴and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

⁶and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening.

⁷They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it.

⁸They shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.

⁹Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.

¹⁰You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

¹¹This is how you shall eat it: with your waist girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's Passover.

¹²For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.

¹³The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴This day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord: throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.

¹⁵"'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

¹⁶In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.

¹⁷You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.

¹⁸In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty first day of the month at evening.

¹⁹Seven days shall there be no yeast found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a foreigner, or one who is born in the land.

²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.'"

²¹Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Draw out, and take lambs according to your families, and kill the Passover.

²²You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.

²³For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.

²⁴You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

²⁵It shall happen when you have come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he has promised, that you shall keep this service.

²⁶It will happen, when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this service?'

²⁷that you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.'" The people bowed their heads and worshiped.

²⁸The children of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²⁹It happened at midnight, that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of livestock.

³⁰Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

³¹He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said!

³²Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!"

³³The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, "We are all dead men."

³⁴The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

³⁵The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.

³⁶The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They despoiled the Egyptians.

³⁷The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children.

³⁸A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock.

³⁹They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it wasn't leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn't wait, neither had they prepared for themselves any food.

⁴⁰Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.

⁴¹It happened at the end of four hundred thirty years, even the same day it happened, that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

⁴²It is a night to be much observed to the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover. There shall no foreigner eat of it,

⁴⁴but every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it.

⁴⁵A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.

⁴⁶In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth anything of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it.

⁴⁷All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

⁴⁸When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

⁴⁹One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."

⁵⁰All the children of Israel did so. As the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

⁵¹It happened the same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Sanctify to me all of the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine."

³Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.

⁴This day you go forth in the month Abib.

⁵It shall be, when the Lord your God shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.

⁶Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.

⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you, neither shall there be yeast seen with you, in all your borders.

⁸You shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.'

⁹It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.

¹⁰You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

¹¹"It shall be, when the Lord shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it you,

¹²that you shall set apart to the Lord all that opens the womb, and every firstborn which you have that comes from an animal. The males shall be the Lord's.

¹³Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons.

¹⁴It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall tell him, 'By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;

¹⁵and it happened, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

¹⁶It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt."

¹⁷It happened, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt;"

¹⁸but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you."

²⁰They took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

²¹The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night:

²²the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, did not depart from before the people.

¹When they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

²saying to them, "Go into the village that is opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them, and bring them to me.

³If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and immediately he will send them."

⁴This took place that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,

⁵"Tell the daughter of Zion, behold, your King comes to you, humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

⁶The disciples went, and did just as Jesus directed them,

⁷and brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

⁸A very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut branches from the trees, and spread them on the road.

⁹The multitudes who went before him, and who followed kept shouting, "Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

¹⁰When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?"

¹¹The multitudes said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

¹²Jesus entered into the temple, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers' tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.

¹³He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of robbers!"

¹⁴The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.

¹⁵But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the son of David!" they were indignant,

¹⁶and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said to them, "Yes. Did you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babies you have perfected praise?'"

¹⁷He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.

¹⁸Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

¹⁹Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, "Let there be no fruit from you forever!" Immediately the fig tree withered away.

²⁰When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree immediately wither away?"

²¹Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you told this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it would be done.

²²All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

²³When he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority do you do these things? Who gave you this authority?"

²⁴Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁵The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from man?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'

²⁶But if we say, 'From man,' we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet."

²⁷They answered Jesus, and said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

²⁸But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work today in the vineyard.'

²⁹He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind, and went.

³⁰He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.

³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God before you.

³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you did not even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

³³"Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went on a journey.

³⁴When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit.

³⁵The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.

³⁷But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

³⁸But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance.'

³⁹So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

⁴¹They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season."

⁴²Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?'

⁴³"Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit.

⁴⁴He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."

⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.

⁴⁶When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.

¹ The king rejoices in your strength, Lord! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!

²You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

³For you meet him with the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of fine gold on his head.

⁴He asked life of you, you gave it to him, even length of days forever and ever.

⁵His glory is great in your salvation. You lay honor and majesty on him.

⁶For you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in your presence.

⁷For the king trusts in the Lord. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.

⁸Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.

⁹You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.

¹⁰You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from among the children of men.

¹¹For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.

¹²For you will make them turn their back, when you aim drawn bows at their face.

¹³Be exalted, Lord, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.

¹The king's heart is in the Lord's hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

²Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.

³To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

⁴A high look, and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.

⁵The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.

⁶Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.

⁷The violence of the wicked will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right.

⁸The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

¹⁰The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

¹¹When the mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom. When the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

¹²The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked, and brings the wicked to ruin.

¹³Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, he will also cry out, but shall not be heard.

¹⁴A gift in secret pacifies anger; and a bribe in the cloak, strong wrath.

¹⁵It is joy to the righteous to do justice; but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.

¹⁶The man who wanders out of the way of understanding shall rest in the assembly of the dead.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man. He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.

¹⁸The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; the treacherous for the upright.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.

²¹He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.

²²A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence.

²³Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.

²⁴The proud and haughty man, "scoffer" is his name; he works in the arrogance of pride.

²⁵The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

²⁶There are those who covet greedily all day long; but the righteous give and do not withhold.

²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he brings it with a wicked mind!

²⁸A false witness will perish, and a man who listens speaks to eternity.

²⁹A wicked man hardens his face; but as for the upright, he establishes his ways.

³⁰There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with the Lord.