Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro^(A) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,^(B) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,^(C) the mountain^(D) of God. ² There the angel of the Lord^(E) appeared to him in flames of fire^(F) from within a bush.^(G) Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called^(H) to him from within the bush,^(I) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”^(J)

⁵ “Do not come any closer,”^(K) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”^{(L) 6} Then he said, “I am the God of your father,^[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”^(M) At this, Moses hid^(N) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.^(O)

⁷ The Lord said, “I have indeed seen^(P) the misery^(Q) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned^(R) about their suffering.^{(S) 8} So I have come down^(T) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,^(U) a land flowing with milk and honey^(V)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites^(W) and Jebusites.^{(X) 9} And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing^(Y) them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending^(Z) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”^(AA)

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I^(AB) that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you.^(AC) And this will be the sign^(AD) to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[b] will worship God on this mountain.^(AE)”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’^(AF) Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am^(AG) has sent me to you.’”

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,^[d] the God of your fathers^(AH)—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob^(AI)—has sent me to you.’

Psalm 148

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(A) and our being gathered to him,^(B) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(C)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(D) has already come.^{(E) 3} Don’t let anyone deceive you^(F) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(G) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed,^(H) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(I) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(J)

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?^{(K) 6} And now you know what is holding him back,^(L) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back^(M) will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(N) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(O) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^(P)

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you,^(A) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[a](B) to be saved^(C) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(D) and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you^(E) to this through our gospel,^(F) that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm^(G) and hold fast to the teachings^[b] we passed on to you,^(H) whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,^(I) who loved us^(J) and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage^(K) your hearts and strengthen^(L) you in every good deed and word.

The Resurrection and Marriage^(A)

²⁷ Some of the Sadducees,^(B) who say there is no resurrection,^(C) came to Jesus with a question. ²⁸ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.^{(D) 29} Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. ³⁰ The second ³¹ and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. ³² Finally, the woman died too. ³³ Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come^(E) and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, ³⁶ and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children,^(F) since they are children of the resurrection. ³⁷ But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’^{[a](G) 38} He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”

³⁹ Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” ⁴⁰ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.^(H)