Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.^(A) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

³ Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,^(B) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.^(C) Eat nothing containing yeast.^{(D) 4} Today, in the month of Aviv,^(E) you are leaving. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,^(F) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites^(G)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey^(H)—you are to observe this ceremony^(I) in this month: ⁶ For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(J) to the Lord. ⁷ Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸ On that day tell your son,^(K) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand^(L) and a reminder on your forehead^(M) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.^{(N) 10} You must keep this ordinance^(O) at the appointed time^(P) year after year.

¹¹ “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites^(Q) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath^(R) to you and your ancestors,^{(S) 12} you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.^{(T) 13} Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,^(U) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(V) Redeem^(W) every firstborn among your sons.^(X)

¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son^(Y) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^{(Z) 15} When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’^{(AA) 16} And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead^(AB) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Crossing the Sea

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”^{(AC) 18} So God led^(AD) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.^[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.^(AE)

¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph^(AF) with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”^[b](AG)

²⁰ After leaving Sukkoth^(AH) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.^{(AI) 21} By day the Lord went ahead^(AJ) of them in a pillar of cloud^(AK) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left^(AL) its place in front of the people.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(A)

15 Now the tax collectors^(B) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”^(C)

³ Then Jesus told them this parable:^{(D) 4} “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?^{(E) 5} And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’^{(F) 7} I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.^(G)

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’^{(H) 10} In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”^(I)

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.^{(J) 12} The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’^(K) So he divided his property^(L) between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth^(M) in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.^{(N) 16} He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned^(O) against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.^(P)

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.^(Q) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe^(R) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger^(S) and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;^(T) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.^(U)

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry^(V) and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property^(W) with prostitutes^(X) comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”^(Y)

Psalm 125

A song of ascents.