19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for qall the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and rhis sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the smiracles that I have put in your power. But tI will harden his heart, so that uhe will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, vIsrael is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, w“Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, xI will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 yAt a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a zflint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’1 feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at athe mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and bgathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people cbelieved; and when they heard that the Lord had dvisited the people of Israel and that he had eseen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Jesus Is Mocked
16 uAnd the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters),1 and they called together the whole battalion.2 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, vKing of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
21 wAnd they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they xoffered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and ydivided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour3 when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And zwith him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.4 29 And those who apassed by derided him, bwagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would cdestroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
