Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

¹⁹ Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill^(A) you are dead.^(B)” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons,^(C) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff^(D) of God in his hand.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders^(E) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart^(F) so that he will not let the people go.^{(G) 22} Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,^{(H) 23} and I told you, “Let my son go,^(I) so he may worship^(J) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”^(K)

²⁴ At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses^[a] and was about to kill^(L) him. ²⁵ But Zipporah^(M) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin^(N) and touched Moses’ feet with it.^[b] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. ²⁶ So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain^(O) of God and kissed^(P) him. ²⁸ Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

²⁹ Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders^(Q) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(R) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(S) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(T) about them and had seen their misery,^(U) they bowed down and worshiped.^(V)

David at Adullam and Mizpah

22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave^(A) of Adullam.^(B) When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. ² All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered^(C) around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

³ From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” ⁴ So he left them with the king of Moab,^(D) and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

⁵ But the prophet Gad^(E) said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.^(F)

Saul Kills the Priests of Nob

⁶ Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated,^(G) spear in hand, under the tamarisk^(H) tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. ⁷ He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders^(I) of thousands and commanders of hundreds? ⁸ Is that why you have all conspired^(J) against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant^(K) with the son of Jesse.^(L) None of you is concerned^(M) about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

⁹ But Doeg^(N) the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub^(O) at Nob.^{(P) 10} Ahimelek inquired^(Q) of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions^(R) and the sword^(S) of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. ¹² Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

“Yes, my lord,” he answered.

¹³ Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired^(T) against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

¹⁴ Ahimelek answered the king, “Who^(U) of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? ¹⁵ Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

¹⁶ But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.^(V)”

¹⁷ Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

But the king’s officials were unwilling^(W) to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”^(X) So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.^{(Y) 19} He also put to the sword^(Z) Nob,^(AA) the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

²⁰ But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub,^(AB) named Abiathar,^(AC) escaped and fled to join David.^{(AD) 21} He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²² Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg^(AE) the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. ²³ Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you^(AF) is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”

⁷ Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:

¹² Who is wise^(AD) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?

¹³ The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.^{(AE) 14} Instead, they have followed^(AF) the stubbornness of their hearts;^(AG) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” ¹⁵ Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food^(AH) and drink poisoned water.^{(AI) 16} I will scatter them among nations^(AJ) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,^(AK) and I will pursue them with the sword^(AL) until I have made an end of them.”^(AM)

Psalm 22^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

The Burial of Jesus^(A)

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb^(B) that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’^{(C) 64} So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body^(D) and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

⁶⁵ “Take a guard,”^(E) Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal^(F) on the stone^(G) and posting the guard.^(H)

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves^(A) to your own husbands^(B) so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over^(C) without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.^{(D) 4} Rather, it should be that of your inner self,^(E) the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.^{(F) 5} For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God^(G) used to adorn themselves.^(H) They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.^(I) You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

⁷ Husbands,^(J) in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.