The Israelites at Mount Sinai

19 ^1-2 The people of Israel left Rephidim, and on the first day of the third month after they had left Egypt they came to the desert of Sinai. There they set up camp at the foot of Mount Sinai, ³ and Moses went up the mountain to meet with God.

The Lord called to him from the mountain and told him to say to the Israelites, Jacob's descendants: ⁴ “You saw what I, the Lord, did to the Egyptians and how I carried you as an eagle carries her young on her wings, and brought you here to me. ^5 (A)Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people, ^6 (B)a people dedicated to me alone, and you will serve me as priests.” ⁷ So Moses went down and called the leaders of the people together and told them everything that the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ Then all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the Lord has said,” and Moses reported this to the Lord.

A Hymn of Praise^[a]

Right with God

5 Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have^[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace, in which we now live. And so we boast^[b] of the hope we have of sharing God's glory! ³ We also boast^[c] of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, ⁴ endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. ⁵ This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.

⁶ For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time that God chose. ⁷ It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person. ⁸ But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

Jesus Has Pity for the People

^35 (A)Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. ^36 (B)As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ^37 (C)So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. ³⁸ Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles^(D)

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

The Mission of the Twelve^(E)

⁵ These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. ⁶ Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. ⁷ Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ ⁸ Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid.