Psalm 31^[a](A)

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,^(A)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”^(B)

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,^(C) and the Egyptian magicians^(D) also did the same things by their secret arts:^{(E) 12} Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart^(F) became hard and he would not listen^(G) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;^(H) he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.^(I) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,^(J) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. ¹⁶ Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship^(K) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.^{(L) 17} This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:^(M) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.^{(N) 18} The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;^(O) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”^(P)

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff^(Q) and stretch out your hand^(R) over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels^[a] of wood and stone.”

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.^(S) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,^(T) and all the water was changed into blood.^{(U) 21} The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

²² But the Egyptian magicians^(V) did the same things by their secret arts,^(W) and Pharaoh’s heart^(X) became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. ²³ Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. ²⁴ And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water^(Y), because they could not drink the water of the river.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God,^(A) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma^(B) of the knowledge^(C) of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma^(D) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.^{(E) 16} To the one we are an aroma that brings death;^(F) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?^{(G) 17} Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.^(H) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,^(I) as those sent from God.^(J)

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves^(K) again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation^(L) to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.^{(M) 3} You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,^(N) not on tablets of stone^(O) but on tablets of human hearts.^(P)

⁴ Such confidence^(Q) we have through Christ before God. ⁵ Not that we are competent in ourselves^(R) to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.^{(S) 6} He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant^(T)—not of the letter^(U) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.^(V)

Divorce^(A)

10 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan.^(B) Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.^(C)

² Some Pharisees^(D) came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”^(E)

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard^(F) that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’^{[a](G) 7} ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,^{[b] 8} and the two will become one flesh.’^[c](H) So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.^{(I) 12} And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”^(J)

The Little Children and Jesus^(K)

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.^{(L) 15} Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”^{(M) 16} And he took the children in his arms,^(N) placed his hands on them and blessed them.