Mary’s Song^(A)

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

The New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,^(A) and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets,^(B) which you broke.^{(C) 2} Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.^(D) Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. ³ No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain;^(E) not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

⁴ So Moses chiseled^(F) out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.^{(G) 5} Then the Lord came down in the cloud^(H) and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.^{(I) 6} And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate^(J) and gracious God, slow to anger,^(K) abounding in love^(L) and faithfulness,^{(M) 7} maintaining love to thousands,^(N) and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.^(O) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;^(P) he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”^(Q)

⁸ Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. ⁹ “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor^(R) in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us.^(S) Although this is a stiff-necked^(T) people, forgive our wickedness and our sin,^(U) and take us as your inheritance.”^(V)

¹⁰ Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant^(W) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders^(X) never before done in any nation in all the world.^(Y) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. ¹¹ Obey what I command^(Z) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.^{(AA) 12} Be careful not to make a treaty^(AB) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare^(AC) among you. ¹³ Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.^{[a](AD) 14} Do not worship any other god,^(AE) for the Lord, whose name^(AF) is Jealous, is a jealous God.^(AG)

¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty^(AH) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute^(AI) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.^{(AJ) 16} And when you choose some of their daughters as wives^(AK) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,^(AL) they will lead your sons to do the same.

¹⁷ “Do not make any idols.^(AM)

¹⁸ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.^(AN) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,^(AO) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,^(AP) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “The first offspring^(AQ) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. ²⁰ Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(AR) Redeem all your firstborn sons.^(AS)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.^(AT)

²¹ “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;^(AU) even during the plowing season and harvest^(AV) you must rest.

²² “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits^(AW) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering^(AX) at the turn of the year.^{[b] 23} Three times^(AY) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. ²⁴ I will drive out nations^(AZ) before you and enlarge your territory,^(BA) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

²⁵ “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,^(BB) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.^(BC)

²⁶ “Bring the best of the firstfruits^(BD) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”^(BE)

²⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write^(BF) down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant^(BG) with you and with Israel.” ²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights^(BH) without eating bread or drinking water.^(BI) And he wrote on the tablets^(BJ) the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.^(BK)

The Radiant Face of Moses

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai^(BL) with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands,^(BM) he was not aware that his face was radiant^(BN) because he had spoken with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community^(BO) came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands^(BP) the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil^(BQ) over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant.^(BR) Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Psalm 14^(A)

For the director of music. Of David.

Everlasting Salvation for Zion

The Cup of the Lord’s Wrath

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,^{(A) 40} where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.^{(B) 42} In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,^(C) and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord^(D) should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song^(E)

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹ On the eighth day they came to circumcise^(S) the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰ but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”^(T)

⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶² Then they made signs^(U) to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”^{(V) 64} Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak,^(W) praising God. ⁶⁵ All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea^(X) people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.^(Y)

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit^(Z) and prophesied:^(AA)

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit^[b];^(AT) and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.