Israel Multiplies in Egypt

1 Now these are the ^(A)names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came, each one ^[a]with his household: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ^5 [b]All the people who descended from Jacob were ^(B)seventy ^[c]people, but Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶ And ^(C)Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷ But the sons of Israel ^(D)were fruitful and ^[d]increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly ^[e]mighty, so that the land was filled with them.

⁸ Now a new ^(E)king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And ^(F)he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are ^[f]too many and too mighty for us. ¹⁰ Come, let us ^(G)deal ^[g]shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and ^[h]in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and ^[i]depart from the land.” ¹¹ So they appointed ^(H)taskmasters over them to oppress them with ^[j](I)hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh ^(J)storage cities, Pithom and ^(K)Raamses. ¹² But the more they oppressed them, ^(L)the more they multiplied and the more they ^[k]spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel. ¹³ The Egyptians ^[l]used violence to compel the sons of Israel ^(M)to labor; ¹⁴ and they made ^(N)their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they violently had them perform as slaves.

Property Rights

22 “^[a]If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and ^(A)four sheep for the sheep— ^2 [b]If the ^(B)thief is ^[c]caught while ^[d]breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account. ³ If the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for bloodshed on his account—A thief shall certainly make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be ^(C)sold for his theft. ⁴ If what he stole is actually found alive in his ^[e]possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^(D)he shall pay double.

⁵ “If someone lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, and stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution.

⁷ “^(E)If someone gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the ^[f]neighbor’s house, if the thief is ^[g]caught, then the thief shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not ^[h]caught, then the owner of the house shall ^[i]appear before ^[j](F)the judges, to determine whether he ^[k]laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. ⁹ For every ^[l]breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the ^[m]case of both parties shall come before ^[n](G)the judges; he whom ^[o]the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking, ¹¹ an ^(H)oath before the Lord shall be ^[p]taken by the two of them ^[q]that he has not ^[r]laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution. ¹² But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

¹⁴ “And if someone ^[s]borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. ¹⁵ If its owner is with it, the borrower shall not be compelled to make restitution. If it is hired, it ^[t]came by its hire.

Various Laws

¹⁶ “^(I)If a man seduces a virgin who is not ^[u]betrothed and sleeps with her, he must pay a ^[v]dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall ^[w]pay money equal to the ^(J)dowry for virgins.

¹⁸ “You shall not allow a ^(K)sorceress to live.

¹⁹ “^(L)Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ “^(M)He who sacrifices to ^[x]any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be ^[y]utterly destroyed.

²¹ “^(N)You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ^22 (O)You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. ²³ If you oppress him at all, and ^(P)if he does cry out to Me, ^(Q)I will assuredly hear his cry; ²⁴ and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, ^(R)and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵ “^(S)If you lend money to My people, to the poor ^[z]among you, you are not to ^[aa]act as a creditor to him; you shall not ^[ab]charge him ^(T)interest. ²⁶ If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak ^(U)as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ^[ac]body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that ^(V)when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for ^(W)I am gracious.

²⁸ “You shall not ^[ad](X)curse God, ^(Y)nor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ “^(Z)You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your ^[ae]wine. ^(AA)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30 (AB)You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; ^(AC)on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹ “^(AD)You shall be holy people to Me, therefore ^(AE)you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

¹¹ Now it came about in those days, ^(A)when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his ^[a]fellow Hebrews and looked at their ^[b](B)hard labors; and ^(C)he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his ^[c]fellow Hebrews. ¹² So he ^[d]looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he ^(D)struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid ^[e]his body in the sand. ¹³ Now he went out ^(E)the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were ^[f]fighting with each other; and he said to the ^[g]offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” ¹⁴ But he said, “^(F)Who made you a ^[h]ruler and a judge over us? Do you ^[i]intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known!”

Moses Escapes to Midian

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But ^(G)Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and ^[j]settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down ^(H)by a well.

¹⁶ Now ^(I)the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and ^(J)they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but ^(K)Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came to their father ^(L)Reuel, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian saved us from ^[k]the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” ²⁰ So he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him ^[l]to have something to eat.” ²¹ And ^(M)Moses was willing to live with the man. And he gave his daughter ^(N)Zipporah to Moses. ²² Then she gave birth to ^(O)a son, and he named him ^[m]Gershom, for he said, “I have been ^(P)a stranger in a foreign land.”

²¹ And although you were ^(A)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now ^(B)reconciled you in His ^(C)body of flesh through death, in order to ^(D)present you before Him ^(E)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in ^[a]the faith firmly ^(F)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the ^(G)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^(H)in all creation under heaven, ^(I)and of which I, Paul, ^[b]was made a ^[c](J)minister.

^24 (K)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(L)I am supplementing what is lacking ^[d]in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of ^(M)His body, which is the church. ^25 (N)I ^[e]was made a minister of this church according to the ^(O)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might ^[f]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶ that is, ^(P)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His ^[g]saints, ²⁷ to whom ^(Q)God willed to make known what ^(R)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is ^(S)Christ in you, the ^(T)hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him, ^(U)admonishing every person and teaching every person ^[h]with all ^(V)wisdom, so that we may ^(W)present every person ^[i](X)complete in Christ. ²⁹ For this purpose I also ^(Y)labor, ^(Z)striving ^(AA)according to His ^[j]power which ^[k]works mightily within me.

You Are Built Up in Christ

2 For I want you to know how great a ^(AB)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at ^(AC)Laodicea, and for all those who have not ^[l]personally seen my face, ² that their ^(AD)hearts may be encouraged, having been ^(AE)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all ^(AF)the wealth ^[m]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^(AG)true knowledge of ^(AH)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³ in whom are hidden all ^(AI)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ^4 (AJ)I say this so that no one will deceive you with ^(AK)persuasive arguments. ⁵ For even though I am ^(AL)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[n]to see ^[o]your ^(AM)orderly manner and the ^(AN)stability of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore, as you have received ^(AO)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^[p](AP)walk in Him, ⁷ having been firmly ^(AQ)rooted and now being ^(AR)built up in Him and ^(AS)established ^[q]in ^[r]your faith, just as you ^(AT)were instructed, and overflowing ^[s]with gratitude.