The Birth of Moses

2 Now a man of the tribe of Levi^(A) married a Levite woman,^{(B) 2} and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine^(C) child, she hid him for three months.^{(D) 3} But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus^(E) basket^[a] for him and coated it with tar and pitch.^(F) Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds^(G) along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister^(H) stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank.^(I) She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

⁷ Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

⁸ “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named^(J) him Moses,^[b] saying, “I drew^(K) him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people^(L) were and watched them at their hard labor.^(M) He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”^(N)

¹⁴ The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?^(O) Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill^(P) Moses, but Moses fled^(Q) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,^(R) where he sat down by a well. ¹⁶ Now a priest of Midian^(S) had seven daughters, and they came to draw water^(T) and fill the troughs^(U) to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue^(V) and watered their flock.^(W)

¹⁸ When the girls returned to Reuel^(X) their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

¹⁹ They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”^(Y)

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah^(Z) to Moses in marriage. ²² Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,^[c](AA) saying, “I have become a foreigner^(AB) in a foreign land.”

²³ During that long period,^(AC) the king of Egypt died.^(AD) The Israelites groaned in their slavery^(AE) and cried out, and their cry^(AF) for help because of their slavery went up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning and he remembered^(AG) his covenant^(AH) with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. ²⁵ So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned^(AI) about them.

²⁵ After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt^(A) and make any kind of idol,^(B) doing evil^(C) in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, ²⁶ I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses^(D) against you^(E) this day that you will quickly perish^(F) from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. ²⁷ The Lord will scatter^(G) you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive^(H) among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. ²⁸ There you will worship man-made gods^(I) of wood and stone,^(J) which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.^{(K) 29} But if from there you seek^(L) the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart^(M) and with all your soul.^{(N) 30} When you are in distress^(O) and all these things have happened to you, then in later days^(P) you will return^(Q) to the Lord your God and obey him. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful^(R) God; he will not abandon^(S) or destroy^(T) you or forget^(U) the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

The Lord Is God

³² Ask^(V) now about the former days, long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth;^(W) ask from one end of the heavens to the other.^(X) Has anything so great^(Y) as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? ³³ Has any other people heard the voice of God^[a] speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived?^{(Z) 34} Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation,^(AA) by testings,^(AB) by signs^(AC) and wonders,^(AD) by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,^(AE) or by great and awesome deeds,^(AF) like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

³⁵ You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.^{(AG) 36} From heaven he made you hear his voice^(AH) to discipline^(AI) you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. ³⁷ Because he loved^(AJ) your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength,^{(AK) 38} to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance,^(AL) as it is today.

³⁹ Acknowledge^(AM) and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.^{(AN) 40} Keep^(AO) his decrees and commands,^(AP) which I am giving you today, so that it may go well^(AQ) with you and your children after you and that you may live long^(AR) in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples,^(A) by the Sea of Galilee.^[a](B) It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas^(C) (also known as Didymus^[b]), Nathanael^(D) from Cana in Galilee,^(E) the sons of Zebedee,^(F) and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.^(G)

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.^(H)

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.^(I)

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved^(J) said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^{[c] 9} When they landed, they saw a fire^(K) of burning coals there with fish on it,^(L) and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.^{(M) 14} This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples^(N) after he was raised from the dead.

The Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven,^(A) having the key^(B) to the Abyss^(C) and holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,^(D) and bound him for a thousand years.^{(E) 3} He threw him into the Abyss,^(F) and locked and sealed^(G) it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations^(H) anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

⁴ I saw thrones^(I) on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.^(J) And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded^(K) because of their testimony about Jesus^(L) and because of the word of God.^(M) They^[a] had not worshiped the beast^(N) or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.^(O) They came to life and reigned^(P) with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.^{(Q) 6} Blessed^(R) and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death^(S) has no power over them, but they will be priests^(T) of God and of Christ and will reign with him^(U) for a thousand years.

The Judgment of Satan

⁷ When the thousand years are over,^(V) Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations^(W) in the four corners of the earth^(X)—Gog and Magog^(Y)—and to gather them for battle.^(Z) In number they are like the sand on the seashore.^{(AA) 9} They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded^(AB) the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.^(AC) But fire came down from heaven^(AD) and devoured them. ¹⁰ And the devil, who deceived them,^(AE) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,^(AF) where the beast^(AG) and the false prophet^(AH) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.^(AI)

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne^(AJ) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,^(AK) and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small,^(AL) standing before the throne, and books were opened.^(AM) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.^(AN) The dead were judged^(AO) according to what they had done^(AP) as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades^(AQ) gave up the dead^(AR) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.^{(AS) 14} Then death^(AT) and Hades^(AU) were thrown into the lake of fire.^(AV) The lake of fire is the second death.^{(AW) 15} Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life^(AX) was thrown into the lake of fire.