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.”

The Birth of Moses

2 Now a ^(T)man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. ² The woman conceived and bore a son, and ^(U)when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. ³ When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes^[b] and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the ^(V)reeds by the river bank. ⁴ And ^(W)his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. ⁵ Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. ⁶ When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews' children.” ⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” ⁸ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. ⁹ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became ^(X)her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I ^(Y)drew him out of the water.”^[c]

Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, ^(Z)when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their ^(AA)burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.^{[d] 12} He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he ^(AB)struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ When ^(AC)he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” ¹⁴ He answered, ^(AD)“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(AE)Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by ^(AF)a well.

¹⁶ Now the ^(AG)priest of Midian had seven daughters, and ^(AH)they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and ^(AI)watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came home to their father ^(AJ)Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and ^(AK)watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may ^(AL)eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter ^(AM)Zipporah. ²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name ^(AN)Gershom, for he said, “I have been a ^(AO)sojourner^[e] in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel's Groaning

^23 (AP)During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel ^(AQ)groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ^(AR)Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. ²⁴ And ^(AS)God heard their groaning, and God ^(AT)remembered his covenant with ^(AU)Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God ^(AV)saw the people of Israel—and God ^(AW)knew.

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

13 ^(A)And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? ^(B)There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ And as he sat on ^(C)the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, ^(D)Peter and James and John and ^(E)Andrew asked him ^(F)privately, ⁴ “Tell us, ^(G)when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, ^(H)“See that no one leads you astray. ^6 (I)Many will come in my name, saying, ^(J)‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, ^(K)do not be alarmed. This ^(L)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For ^(M)nation will rise against nation, and ^(N)kingdom against kingdom. There will be ^(O)earthquakes in various places; there will be ^(P)famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

^9 (Q)“But ^(R)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(S)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(T)governors and ^(U)kings for my sake, ^(V)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(W)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(X)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(Y)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(Z)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ^12 (AA)And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ^13 (AB)And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ^(AC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴ “But when you see ^(AD)the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (^(AE)let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^15 (AF)Let the one who is on ^(AG)the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And ^(AH)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be ^(AI)such ^(AJ)tribulation as has not been ^(AK)from the beginning of the creation that ^(AL)God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for ^(AM)the sake of the elect, whom ^(AN)he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And ^(AO)then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ^22 (AP)For false christs and false prophets will arise and ^(AQ)perform signs and wonders, ^(AR)to lead astray, if possible, ^(AS)the elect. ²³ But ^(AT)be on guard; ^(AU)I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after ^(AV)that tribulation, ^(AW)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and ^(AX)the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ And then they will see ^(AY)the Son of Man coming in clouds ^(AZ)with great power and glory. ²⁷ And then ^(BA)he will send out the angels and ^(BB)gather ^(BC)his elect from ^(BD)the four winds, from ^(BE)the ends of the earth ^(BF)to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, ^(BG)at the very gates. ^30 (BH)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^31 (BI)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(BJ)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, ^(BK)no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, ^(BL)nor the Son, ^(BM)but only the Father. ^33 (BN)Be on guard, ^(BO)keep awake.^[a] For you do not know when the time will come. ^34 (BP)It is like a man ^(BQ)going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants^[b] in charge, ^(BR)each with his work, and commands ^(BS)the doorkeeper to stay awake. ^35 (BT)Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, ^(BU)in the evening, or ^(BV)at midnight, or ^(BW)when the rooster crows,^[c] or ^(BX)in the morning— ³⁶ lest ^(BY)he come suddenly and ^(BZ)find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: ^(CA)Stay awake.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

14 ^(CB)It was now two days before ^(CC)the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes ^(CD)were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, ² for they said, “Not during the feast, ^(CE)lest there be an uproar from the people.”

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

^3 (CF)And while he was at ^(CG)Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,^[d] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴ There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii^[e] and ^(CH)given to the poor.” And they ^(CI)scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ For ^(CJ)you always have the poor with you, and whenever ^(CK)you want, you can do good for them. But ^(CL)you will not always have me. ^8 (CM)She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand ^(CN)for burial. ⁹ And truly, I say to you, wherever ^(CO)the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told ^(CP)in memory of her.”

Judas to Betray Jesus

^10 (CQ)Then ^(CR)Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, ^(CS)went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. ¹¹ And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to ^(CT)betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^12 (CU)And on ^(CV)the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they ^(CW)sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³ And he sent ^(CX)two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ^(CY)‘The Teacher says, Where is ^(CZ)my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ And he will show you ^(DA)a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” ¹⁶ And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

^17 (DB)And when it was evening, he came with the twelve. ¹⁸ And as they were reclining at table and eating, ^(DC)Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, ^(DD)one who is eating with me.” ¹⁹ They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” ²⁰ He said to them, “It is ^(DE)one of the twelve, ^(DF)one who is dipping bread into the dish with me. ²¹ For the Son of Man goes ^(DG)as it is written of him, but ^(DH)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(DI)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper

^22 (DJ)And as they were eating, he took bread, and after ^(DK)blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; ^(DL)this is my body.” ²³ And he took a cup, and when he had ^(DM)given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. ²⁴ And he said to them, ^(DN)“This is my ^(DO)blood of the^[f] covenant, which is poured out for ^(DP)many. ²⁵ Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

^26 (DQ)And when they had sung a hymn, ^(DR)they went out to ^(DS)the Mount of Olives. ²⁷ And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will ^(DT)strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ ²⁸ But after I am raised up, ^(DU)I will go before you to Galilee.” ^29 (DV)Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” ³⁰ And ^(DW)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before ^(DX)the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” ³¹ But ^(DY)he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^32 (DZ)And they went ^(EA)to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And he took with him ^(EB)Peter and James and John, and began ^(EC)to be greatly distressed and troubled. ³⁴ And he said to them, ^(ED)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and ^(EE)watch.”^{[g] 35} And going a little farther, he fell on the ground ^(EF)and prayed that, if it were possible, ^(EG)the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ And he said, ^(EH)“Abba, Father, ^(EI)all things are possible for you. Remove ^(EJ)this cup from me. ^(EK)Yet not what I will, but what you will.” ³⁷ And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? ^38 (EL)Watch and ^(EM)pray that you may not ^(EN)enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ³⁹ And again he went away and prayed, ^(EO)saying the same words. ⁴⁰ And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^(EP)their eyes were very heavy, and ^(EQ)they did not know what to answer him. ⁴¹ And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? ^(ER)It is enough; ^(ES)the hour has come. ^(ET)The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^43 (EU)And immediately, while he was still speaking, ^(EV)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵ And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, ^(EW)“Rabbi!” And he ^(EX)kissed him. ⁴⁶ And they laid hands on him and seized him. ⁴⁷ But one of those who stood by drew his ^(EY)sword and struck the servant^[h] of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁴⁸ And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? ^49 (EZ)Day after day I was with you in the temple ^(FA)teaching, and you did not seize me. But ^(FB)let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” ^50 (FC)And they all left him and fled.

A Young Man Flees

⁵¹ And a young man followed him, with nothing but ^(FD)a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, ⁵² but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus Before the Council

^53 (FE)And ^(FF)they led Jesus to the high priest. And all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. ^54 (FG)And ^(FH)Peter had followed him at a distance, ^(FI)right into ^(FJ)the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with ^(FK)the guards and ^(FL)warming himself at the fire. ⁵⁵ Now the chief priests and the whole council^[i] were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none. ^56 (FM)For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony ^(FN)did not agree. ⁵⁷ And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, ^58 (FO)“We heard him say, ^(FP)‘I will destroy this temple ^(FQ)that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, ^(FR)not made with hands.’” ⁵⁹ Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. ⁶⁰ And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^{[j] 61} But ^(FS)he remained silent and made no answer. ^(FT)Again the high priest asked him, “Are you ^(FU)the Christ, the Son of ^(FV)the Blessed?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am, and ^(FW)you will see the Son of Man ^(FX)seated at the right hand of Power, and ^(FY)coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ And the high priest ^(FZ)tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴ You have heard ^(GA)his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they ^(GB)all condemned him as ^(GC)deserving death. ^65 (GD)And some began ^(GE)to spit on him and ^(GF)to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him ^(GG)with blows.

Peter Denies Jesus

^66 (GH)And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, ⁶⁷ and seeing Peter ^(GI)warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” ⁶⁸ But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway^[k] and ^(GJ)the rooster crowed.^{[l] 69} And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” ⁷⁰ But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” ⁷¹ But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” ⁷² And immediately the rooster crowed ^(GK)a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ^(GL)“Before the rooster crows twice, you will ^(GM)deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.^[m]