³⁷ The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides little ones.^{(A) 38} A mixed crowd also went up with them and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds.^{(B) 39} They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.^(C)

⁴⁰ The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.^{(D) 41} At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.^{(E) 42} That was for the Lord a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the Lord by all the Israelites throughout their generations.^(F)

Directions for the Passover

⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance for the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, ⁴⁴ but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised; ⁴⁵ no bound or hired servant may eat of it. ⁴⁶ It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.^{(G) 47} The whole congregation of Israel shall do this.^{(H) 48} If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; ⁴⁹ there shall be one law for the native-born and for the alien who resides among you.”^(I)

⁵⁰ All the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ That very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company.^(J)

²⁷ Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” ²⁸ Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ²⁹ “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah,^[a] can he?”^{(A) 30} They left the city and were on their way to him.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³² But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.^{(B) 35} Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.^{(C) 36} The reaper is already receiving^[b] wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.^{(D) 37} For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’^{(E) 38} I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

³⁹ Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.”^{(F) 40} So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of his word. ⁴² They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”^(G)

Jesus Returns to Galilee

⁴³ When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee^{(H) 44} (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country).^{(I) 45} When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival, for they, too, had gone to the festival.^(J)

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

⁴⁶ Then he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum.^{(K) 47} When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.^{(L) 48} Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you^[c] see signs and wonders you will not believe.”^{(M) 49} The official said to him, “Sir,^[d] come down before my little boy dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”^[e] The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. ⁵¹ As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. ⁵² So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” ⁵³ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”^[f] So he himself believed, along with his whole household.^{(N) 54} Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.^(O)

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.”^(A)

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

³ Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by strength of hand; no leavened bread shall be eaten.^{(B) 4} Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this observance in this month.^{(C) 6} Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival to the Lord.^{(D) 7} Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen in your possession, and no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory. ⁸ You shall tell your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’^{(E) 9} It shall serve for you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the Lord may be on your lips, for with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.^{(F) 10} You shall keep this ordinance at its proper time from year to year.^(G)

The Consecration of the Firstborn

¹¹ “When the Lord has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to you, ¹² you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn offspring of your livestock that are males shall be the Lord’s.^{(H) 13} But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem.^{(I) 14} When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.^{(J) 15} When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’^{(K) 16} It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an emblem^[a] on your forehead that by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”^(L)

Paul’s Ministry to the Gentiles

3 This is the reason that I, Paul, am a prisoner for^[a] Christ Jesus^[b] for the sake of you gentiles, ² for surely^[c] you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you ³ and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,^{[d](A) 4} a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.^{(B) 5} In former generations this mystery^[e] was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:^{(C) 6} that is, the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.^(D)

⁷ Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ^{(E) 9} and to make everyone see^[f] what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in^[g] God, who created all things,^{(F) 10} so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.^{[h](G) 11} This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have access in boldness and confidence through faith in him.^{[i](H) 13} I pray, therefore, that you^[j] may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

Prayer for the Readers

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,^{[k] 15} from whom every family^[l] in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶ I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit^{(I) 17} and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. ¹⁸ I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth^{(J) 19} and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.^(K)

²⁰ Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,^{(L) 21} to him be glory in the church and^[m] in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.