Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt

1 ^aThese are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were ^bseventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then ^cJoseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 ^dBut the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ^ewho did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, ^fthe people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 ^gCome, ^hlet us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them ⁱto afflict them with heavy ^jburdens. They built for Pharaoh ^kstore cities, Pithom and ^lRaamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel ^mwork as slaves 14 and ⁿmade their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives ^ofeared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 ^pSo God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, ^qhe gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ^r“Every son that is born to the Hebrews¹ you shall cast into ^sthe Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

The Birth of Moses

1 Now a ^tman from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and ^uwhen she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes¹ and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the ^vreeds by the river bank. 4 And ^whis sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became ^xher son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I ^ydrew him out of the water.”²

Moses Flees to Midian

11 One day, ^zwhen Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their ^aburdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.³ 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he ^bstruck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When ^che went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, ^d“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But ^eMoses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by ^fa well.

16 Now the ^gpriest of Midian had seven daughters, and ^hthey 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 saved them, and ⁱwatered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father ^jReuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and ⁱwatered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may ^keat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter ^lZipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name ^mGershom, for he said, “I have been a ⁿsojourner⁴ in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel’s Groaning

23 ^oDuring those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel ^pgroaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ^qTheir cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And ^rGod heard their groaning, and God ^sremembered his covenant with ^tAbraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God ^usaw the people of Israel—and God ^vknew.

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of ^zthe Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to ^aMahalath Leannoth. A Maskil¹ of ^bHeman the Ezrahite.

The Widow’s Offering

1 ^yJesus¹ looked up and saw the rich ^zputting their gifts into ^athe offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two ^bsmall copper coins.² 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, ^cthis poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her ^dpoverty put in all ^eshe had to live on.”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

5 ^fAnd while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, ^gthe days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, ^hwhen will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, ⁱ“See that you are not led astray. For ^jmany will come in my name, saying, ^k‘I am he!’ and, ^l‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be ^mterrified, for these things ⁿmust first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

10 Then he said to them, ^o“Nation will rise against nation, and ^pkingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great ^qearthquakes, and in various places ^rfamines and pestilences. And there will be ^sterrors and great ^tsigns from heaven. 12 But before all this ^uthey will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to ^vthe synagogues and ^wprisons, and you ^xwill be brought before ^ykings and ^zgovernors for my name’s sake. 13 ^aThis will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds ^bnot to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for ^cI will give you a mouth and ^dwisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or ^econtradict. 16 You will be delivered up ^feven by parents and brothers³ and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 ^gYou will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But ^hnot a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your ⁱendurance you will gain your lives.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem

20 “But ^jwhen you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that ^kits desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are ^ldays of ^mvengeance, to fulfill ⁿall that is written. 23 ^oAlas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and ^pwrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and ^qbe led captive among all nations, and ^rJerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, ^suntil the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 “And ^tthere will be signs in sun and moon ^uand stars, and on the earth ^vdistress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For ^wthe powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see ^xthe Son of Man coming in a cloud ^ywith power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and ^zraise your heads, because ^ayour redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see ^bfor yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 ^cTruly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 ^dHeaven and earth will pass away, but ^emy words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

34 “But watch yourselves ^flest ^gyour hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and ^hcares of this life, and ⁱthat day come upon you suddenly ^jlike a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But ^kstay awake at all times, ^lpraying that you may ^mhave strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and ⁿto stand before the Son of Man.”

37 And ^oevery day he was teaching in the temple, but ^pat night he went out and lodged on ^qthe mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning ^oall the people came to him in the temple to hear him.