² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.^{(A) 3} I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,^[a](B) but by my name^(C) the Lord^[b](D) I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant^(E) with them to give them the land^(F) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.^{(G) 5} Moreover, I have heard the groaning^(H) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.^(I)

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.^(J) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem^(K) you with an outstretched arm^(L) and with mighty acts of judgment.^{(M) 7} I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.^(N) Then you will know^(O) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land^(P) I swore^(Q) with uplifted hand^(R) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.^(S) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”^(T)

⁹ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.^(U)

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go, tell^(V) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”^(W)

¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen^(X) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips^[c]?”^(Y)

Family Record of Moses and Aaron

¹³ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.^(Z)

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain^(A) of God and kissed^(B) him. ²⁸ Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

²⁹ Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders^(C) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(D) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(E) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(F) about them and had seen their misery,^(G) they bowed down and worshiped.^(H)

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,^(I) so that they may hold a festival^(J) to me in the wilderness.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,^(K) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”^(L)

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey^(M) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues^(N) or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?^(O) Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,^(P) and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers^(Q) and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;^(R) let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.^(S) They are lazy;^(T) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(U) 9} Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

¹⁰ Then the slave drivers^(V) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. ¹¹ Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced^(W) at all.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,^(X) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? ¹⁶ Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

¹⁷ Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!^(Y) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get to work.^(Z) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, ²¹ and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge^(AA) you! You have made us obnoxious^(AB) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword^(AC) in their hand to kill us.”^(AD)

God Promises Deliverance

²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?^(AE) Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued^(AF) your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand^(AG) he will let them go;^(AH) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”^(AI)

²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh,^(A) but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots^(B) to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.^(C)

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ^{[28] [a] 29} Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^(D) and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^{(E) 30} come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him^(F) among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah,^(G) this king of Israel,^(H) come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus^(I)

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.^{(J) 34} And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[b](K)

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar,^(L) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.^(M)

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.^{(N) 39} And when the centurion,^(O) who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^[c] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”^(P)

The Crucifixion of Jesus^(A)

²⁶ As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene,^(B) who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.^{(C) 27} A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed^(D) for him. ²⁸ Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.^{(E) 29} For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’^{(F) 30} Then

³¹ For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”^(H)

³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.^{(I) 33} When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father,^(J) forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[b](K) And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^(L)

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him.^(M) They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”^(N)

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him.^(O) They offered him wine vinegar^{(P) 37} and said, “If you are the king of the Jews,^(Q) save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.^(R)

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”^(S)

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”^(T)

⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.^[c]”^(U)

⁴³ Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”^(V)

The Death of Jesus^(W)

⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,^{(X) 45} for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple^(Y) was torn in two.^{(Z) 46} Jesus called out with a loud voice,^(AA) “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”^[d](AB) When he had said this, he breathed his last.^(AC)

⁴⁷ The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God^(AD) and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” ⁴⁸ When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts^(AE) and went away. ⁴⁹ But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee,^(AF) stood at a distance,^(AG) watching these things.