Exodus 16; Psalm 66; 1 Samuel 17; Isaiah 66; Luke 22

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Exodus 16

Bread from Heaven

They kset out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel lgrumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, mWould that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, nwhen we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I am about to rain obread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may ptest them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, qit will be twice as much as they gather daily. So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, rAt evening syou shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the tglory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For uwhat are we, that you grumble against us? And Moses said, When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against himvwhat are we? Your grumbling is not wagainst us but against the Lord.

Then Moses xsaid to Aaron, Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, yCome near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling. 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the tglory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 I zhave heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, At atwilight you shall eat meat, and bin the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.

13 In the evening cquail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning ddew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, eWhat is it?1 For they fdid not know what it was. And Moses said to them, gIt is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an homer,2 according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent. 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, iwhoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, Let no one leave any of it over till the morning. 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and jit bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On kthe sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, This is what the Lord has commanded: Tomorrow is a day of lsolemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and mit did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, Eat it today, for ltoday is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.

27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, nHow long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people orested on the seventh day.

31 Now the house of Israel called its name pmanna. It was qlike coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, This is what the Lord has commanded: Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. 33 And Moses said to Aaron, Take a rjar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations. 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before sthe testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel tate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till uthey came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is vthe tenth part of an ephah.)3


Psalm 66

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

bShout for joy to God, all the earth;

sing the glory of his name;

cgive to him glorious praise!

Say to God, dHow awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power that your enemies ecome cringing to you.

fAll the earth worships you

and sings praises to you;

they sing praises to your name. Selah

gCome and see what God has done:

dhe is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

He hturned the sea into dry land;

they ipassed through the river on foot.

There did we rejoice in him,

who rules by his might forever,

whose jeyes keep watch on the nations

let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of his praise be heard,

who has kept our soul among the living

and khas not let our feet slip.

10  For you, O God, have ltested us;

you have tried us as silver is tried.

11  You brought us into mthe net;

you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

12  you let men nride over our heads;

we went through fire and through owater;

yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

13  I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pperform my vows to you,

14  that which my lips uttered

and my mouth promised qwhen I was in trouble.

15  I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,

with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;

I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

16  rCome and hear, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

17  I cried to him with my mouth,

and high praise was on1 my tongue.2

18  If I had scherished iniquity in my heart,

tthe Lord would not have listened.

19  But truly uGod has listened;

he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20  Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me!


1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath

Now the Philistines vgathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at wSocoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and xAzekah, in yEphes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in zthe Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named aGoliath of bGath, whose height was six1 cubits2 and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels3 of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a cjavelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. dAnd his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and eare you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants fand serve us. 10 And the Philistine said, gI defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was hthe son of an iEphrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, jnamed Jesse, kwho had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.4 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And lthe names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 mDavid was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul nto feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, Take for your brothers an ephah5 of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 oAlso take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. pSee if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.

19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to qthe encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 And David left the rthings in charge of the keeper of the rbaggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, sthe champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke tthe same words as before. And David heard him.

24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to udefy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches vand will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel. 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away wthe reproach from Israel? For who is this xuncircumcised Philistine, that he should udefy the armies of ythe living God? 27 And the people answered him in the same way, zSo shall it be done to the man who kills him.

28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I done now? Was it not but a word? 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke bin the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, cLet no man’s heart fail because of him. dYour servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth. 34 But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, efor he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 And David said, fThe Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, gand the Lord be with you!

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them. So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, hwith his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, iruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, Am I ja dog, that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh kto the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with la javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, ewhom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. mAnd I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day nto the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, othat all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that pthe Lord saves not with sword and spear. qFor the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.

48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine rand took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, sthey fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath6 and the gates of tEkron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from uShaaraim as far as vGath and Ekron. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took wthe head of the Philistine xand brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, ythe commander of the army, Abner, zwhose son is this youth? And Abner said, aAs your soul lives, O king, I do not know. 56 And the king said, Inquire whose son the boy is. 57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul bwith the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? And David answered, cI am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.


Isaiah 66

The Humble and Contrite in Spirit

aThus says the Lord:

bHeaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool;

what is the house that you would build for me,

and what is the place of my rest?

cAll these things my hand has made,

and so all these things came to be,

declares the Lord.

dBut this is the one to whom I will look:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit

and trembles at my word.

eHe who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man;

he who sacrifices a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck;

he who presents a grain offering, like one who offers fpig’s blood;

he who makes a memorial offering of frankincense, like one who blesses an idol.

gThese have chosen their own ways,

and their soul delights in their abominations;

hI also will choose harsh treatment for them

and bring itheir fears upon them,

jbecause when I called, no one answered,

when I spoke, they did not listen;

kbut they did what was evil in my eyes

and chose that in which I did not delight.

Hear the word of the Lord,

you who tremble at his word:

Your brothers who hate you

and cast you out for my name’s sake

have said, lLet the Lord be glorified,

that we may see your joy;

but it is they who shall be put to shame.

The sound of an uproar from the city!

A sound from the temple!

The sound of the Lord,

mrendering recompense to his enemies!

Rejoice with Jerusalem

nBefore she was in labor

she gave birth;

before her pain came upon her

she delivered a son.

Who has heard such a thing?

Who has seen such things?

Shall a land be born in one day?

Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?

For nas soon as Zion was in labor

she brought forth her children.

Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?

says the Lord;

shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?

says your God.

10  oRejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,

all you who love her;

rejoice with her in joy,

all you who mourn over her;

11  that you may nurse and be satisfied

from her consoling breast;

that you may drink deeply with delight

from her glorious abundance.1

12  For thus says the Lord:

pBehold, I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream;

and qyou shall nurse, you shall be carried upon her hip,

and bounced upon her knees.

13  As one whom his mother comforts,

so rI will comfort you;

you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14  You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;

syour bones shall flourish like the grass;

and tthe hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants,

and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

Final Judgment and Glory of the Lord

15  For behold, uthe Lord will come in fire,

and vhis chariots like the whirlwind,

to render his anger in fury,

and his rebuke with flames of fire.

16  For wby fire xwill the Lord enter into judgment,

and by his sword, with all flesh;

and those slain by the Lord shall be many.

17 yThose who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, zeating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the Lord.

18 For I know2 their works and their thoughts, and the time is coming3 ato gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19 and I will set a sign among them. And from them bI will send survivors to the nations, to cTarshish, dPul, and dLud, who draw the bow, to eTubal and eJavan, fto the coastlands far away, gthat have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20 hAnd they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations ias an offering to the Lord, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. 21 jAnd some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.

22  For as kthe new heavens and the new earth

that I make

shall remain before me, says the Lord,

so lshall your offspring and your name remain.

23  mFrom new moon to new moon,

and from Sabbath to Sabbath,

all flesh shall come to worship before me,

declares the Lord.

24 And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For ntheir worm shall not die, otheir fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.


Luke 22

The Plot to Kill Jesus

rNow the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called sthe Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes twere seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

Judas to Betray Jesus

uThen vSatan entered into wJudas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and xofficers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to ybetray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

The Passover with the Disciples

zThen came athe day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus1 sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it. They said to him, Where will you have us prepare it? 10 He said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, bThe Teacher says to you, Where is cthe guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? 12 And he will show you da large upper room furnished; prepare it there. 13 And they went and found it ejust as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

14 fAnd when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it2 guntil it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took a cup, and hwhen he had given thanks he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 iFor I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine guntil the kingdom of God comes. 19 jAnd he took bread, and hwhen he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, kThis is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, kThis cup that is poured out for you is lthe new mcovenant in my blood.3 21 nBut behold, the hand of him who betrays me is owith me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes pas it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Who Is the Greatest?

24 qA dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 rAnd he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles sexercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 tBut not so with you. Rather, let sthe greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, uone who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But vI am among you as the one who serves.

28 You are those who have stayed with me win my trials, 29 and xI assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 ythat you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and zsit on thrones judging athe twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

31 Simon, Simon, behold, bSatan demanded to have you,4 cthat he might sift you like wheat, 32 but dI have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, estrengthen your brothers. 33 Peter5 said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both fto prison and gto death. 34 hJesus6 said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.

Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

35 And he said to them, iWhen I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said, Nothing. 36 He said to them, But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that jthis Scripture must be fulfilled in me: kAnd he was numbered with the transgressors. For lwhat is written about me has its fulfillment. 38 And they said, Look, Lord, here are two mswords. And he said to them, nIt is enough.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 oAnd he came out and went, pas was his custom, to qthe Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 rAnd when he came to sthe place, he said to them, tPray that you may not uenter into temptation. 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and vknelt down and prayed, 42 saying, wFather, if you are willing, remove xthis cup from me. yNevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. 43 And there appeared to him zan angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And wbeing in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.7 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, Why are you sleeping? Rise and apray that you may not enter into temptation.

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 bWhile he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called cJudas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike dwith the sword? 50 And one of them struck the servant8 of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, No more of this! And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and eofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When fI was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is gyour hour, and hthe power of darkness.

Peter Denies Jesus

54 iThen they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, jand Peter was following at a distance. 55 kAnd when they had kindled a fire in the middle of lthe courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, This man also was with him. 57 But he denied it, saying, Woman, I do not know him. 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, You also are one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another minsisted, saying, Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean. 60 But Peter said, Man, I do not know what you are talking about. And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and nlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, oBefore the rooster crows today, you will pdeny me three times. 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 qNow the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 qThey also blindfolded him and kept asking him, rProphesy! rWho is it that struck you? 65 And they said many other things against him, sblaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 tWhen day came, uthe assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their vcouncil, and they wsaid, 67 xIf you are ythe Christ, tell us. But he said to them, If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated zat the right hand of the power of God. 70 So they all said, Are you athe Son of God, then? And he said to them, bYou say that I am. 71 Then they said, What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.