Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt

1 ^(A)These 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 ^(B)seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶ Then ^(C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. ^7 (D)But 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, ^(E)who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Behold, ^(F)the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. ^10 (G)Come, ^(H)let 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 ^(I)to afflict them with heavy ^(J)burdens. They built for Pharaoh ^(K)store cities, Pithom and ^(L)Raamses. 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 ^(M)work as slaves ¹⁴ and ^(N)made 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 ^(O)feared 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 (P)So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, ^(Q)he gave them families. ²² Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ^(R)“Every son that is born to the Hebrews^[a] you shall cast into ^(S)the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^(A)my elder daughter Merab. ^(B)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^(C)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^(D)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ And David said to Saul, ^(E)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^(F)Adriel the ^(G)Meholathite for a wife.

²⁰ Now ^(H)Saul's daughter Michal ^(I)loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^(J)be a snare for him ^(K)and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^{[a] (L)}“You shall now be my son-in-law.” ²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law.’” ²³ And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^(M)“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” ²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” ²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^(N)bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(O)that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” ^(P)Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. ^(Q)Before the time had expired, ²⁷ David arose and went, ^(R)along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^(S)And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸ But when Saul saw and knew that ^(T)the Lord was with David, ^(U)and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, ²⁹ Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.

^30 (V)Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^(W)David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Judas Hangs Himself

³ Then when ^(A)Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus^[a] was condemned, ^(B)he changed his mind and brought back ^(C)the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^(D)See to it yourself.” ⁵ And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^(E)he departed, and he went and hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^(F)the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. ⁸ Therefore ^(G)that field has been called the Field of Blood ^(H)to this day. ^9 (I)Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^(J)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”

Patience in Suffering

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers,^[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives ^(A)the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. ^(B)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^(C)is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, ^(D)so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(E)the Judge is standing ^(F)at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take ^(G)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of ^(H)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ^(I)the purpose of the Lord, how ^(J)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, ^(K)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him ^(L)sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(M)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And ^(N)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^(O)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^(P)that you may be healed. ^(Q)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{[b] 17} Elijah was a man ^(R)with a nature like ours, and ^(S)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^(T)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^18 (U)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, ^(V)if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone ^(W)brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering ^(X)will save his soul from death and ^(Y)will cover a multitude of sins.