²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went, and he met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.^{(A) 28} Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him and all the signs with which he had charged him.^{(B) 29} Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites.^{(C) 30} Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and performed the signs in the sight of the people.^{(D) 31} The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.^(E)

Bricks without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.”^{(F) 2} But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”^{(G) 3} Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us; let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God, or he will fall upon us with pestilence or sword.”^{(H) 4} But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”^{(I) 5} Pharaoh continued, “Now they are more numerous than the people of the land^[a] and yet you want them to stop laboring!”^{(J) 6} That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors,^{(K) 7} “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(L) 9} Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will pay attention to^[b] it and not to deceptive words.”

¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the supervisors of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh: I will not give you straw.^{(M) 11} Go and get straw yourselves, wherever you can find it, but your work will not be lessened in the least.” ¹² So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters urged them on, saying, “Complete your work, the same daily assignment as when you were given straw.”^{[c] 14} And the Israelite supervisors whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them were beaten and were asked, “Why did you not finish the required quantity of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before?”^(N)

¹⁵ Then the Israelite supervisors came to Pharaoh and cried, “Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look how your servants are beaten! But the fault is with you.”^{[d] 17} He said, “You are lazy, lazy; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’^{(O) 18} Go now and work, for no straw shall be given you, but you shall still deliver the same number of bricks.” ¹⁹ The Israelite supervisors saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You shall not lessen your daily number of bricks.” ²⁰ As they left Pharaoh, they came upon Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them. ²¹ They said to them, “The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”^(P)

²² Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O my Lord, why have you mistreated this people? Why did you ever send me?^{(Q) 23} Since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has mistreated this people, and you have done nothing at all to deliver your people.”^(R)

Israel’s Deliverance Assured

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”^(S)

The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!^{(A) 30} This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.^{(B) 33} I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{(C) 34} And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”^[a]

The First Disciples of Jesus

³⁵ The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”^{(D) 37} The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”^{(E) 39} He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.^{(F) 41} He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed^[b]).^{(G) 42} He brought Simon^[c] to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas”^[d] (which is translated Peter^[e]).^(H)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”^{(I) 44} Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.^{(J) 45} Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”^{(K) 46} Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”^{(L) 47} When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”^{(M) 48} Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”^{(N) 50} Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,^[f] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”^(O)

² God also spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty,^[a] but by my name ‘The Lord’^[b] I did not make myself known to them.^{(A) 4} I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they resided as aliens.^{(B) 5} I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have remembered my covenant.^{(C) 6} Say therefore to the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.^{(D) 7} I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians.^{(E) 8} I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.”^{(F) 9} Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery.

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹¹ “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses spoke to the Lord, “The Israelites have not listened to me; why should Pharaoh listen to me, poor speaker that I am?”^{[c] 13} Thus the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to free the Israelites from the land of Egypt.

The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

¹⁴ The following are the heads of their ancestral houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.^{(G) 15} The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.^{(H) 16} The following are the names of the sons of Levi according to their genealogies: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred thirty-seven years.^{(I) 17} The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their families.^{(J) 18} The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred thirty-three years.^{(K) 19} The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their genealogies.^{(L) 20} Amram married Jochebed his aunt, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred thirty-seven years.^{(M) 21} The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.^{(N) 22} The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.^{(O) 23} Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

7 The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.^{(A) 2} You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land.^{(B) 3} But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.^{(C) 4} When Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my people the Israelites, company by company, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.^{(D) 5} The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”^{(E) 6} Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.^{(F) 7} Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.^(G)

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.^{(A) 13} Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord^[a] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ^[b] rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.^{(B) 16} Let the word of Christ^[c] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.^{[d](C) 17} And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.^(D)

Rules for Christian Households

¹⁸ Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.^{(E) 19} Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

²⁰ Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord.^{(F) 21} Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. ²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters^[e] in everything, not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.^{[f](G) 23} Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans, ²⁴ since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.^{(H) 25} For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.^(I) 4 ¹ Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.