Israel’s Suffering in Egypt

1 Now ^(A)these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ⁵ All those ^[a]who were descendants of Jacob were ^(B)seventy^[b] persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). ⁶ And ^(C)Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. ^7 (D)But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and ^[c]grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

⁸ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ^(E)who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and ^(F)mightier than we; ^10 (G)come, let us ^(H)deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.” ¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them ^(I)to afflict them with their ^(J)burdens. And they built for Pharaoh ^(K)supply cities, Pithom ^(L)and Raamses. ¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. ¹³ So the Egyptians made the children of Israel ^(M)serve with ^[d]rigor. ¹⁴ And they ^(N)made their lives bitter with hard bondage—^(O)in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

¹⁵ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the ^(P)Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; ¹⁶ and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a ^(Q)son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

A Song of Praise to the Lord for His Salvation and Judgment

A Psalm.

Sons and Heirs

²⁶ For you ^(A)are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For ^(B)as many of you as were baptized into Christ ^(C)have put on Christ. ^28 (D)There is neither Jew nor Greek, ^(E)there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all ^(F)one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And ^(G)if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s ^(H)seed, and ^(I)heirs according to the promise.

Sons and Heirs Through Christ

4 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, ² but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. ³ Even so we, when we were children, ^(J)were in bondage under the elements of the world. ⁴ But ^(K)when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, ^(L)born^{[a] (M)}of a woman, ^(N)born under the law, ^5 (O)to redeem those who were under the law, ^(P)that we might receive the adoption as sons.

⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent forth ^(Q)the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ^[b]“Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, ^(R)and if a son, then an heir ^[c]of God ^[d]through Christ.

Fears for the Church

⁸ But then, indeed, ^(S)when you did not know God, ^(T)you served those which by nature are not gods.

^11 (A)“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a ^[a]hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and ^(B)leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and ^(C)I know My sheep, and ^(D)am known by My own. ^15 (E)As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; ^(F)and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And ^(G)other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; ^(H)and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father ^(I)loves Me, ^(J)because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I ^(K)have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. ^(L)This command I have received from My Father.”