^21 (A)“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ^(B)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ^(C)But he who endures to the end will be saved. ^23 (D)When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have ^(E)gone through the cities of Israel ^(F)before the Son of Man comes.

^24 (G)“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If ^(H)they have called the master of the house ^[a]Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. ^(I)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God^(J)

²⁷ “Whatever I tell you in the dark, ^(K)speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ^28 (L)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather ^(M)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in ^[b]hell. ²⁹ Are not two ^(N)sparrows sold for a ^[c]copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ^30 (O)But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men^(P)

^32 (Q)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, ^(R)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ^33 (S)But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Christ Brings Division^(T)

^34 (U)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ^(V)‘set^[d] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ^(W)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ^37 (X)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ^38 (Y)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ^39 (Z)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

A Cup of Cold Water^(AA)

^40 (AB)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (AC)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ^42 (AD)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

The Jerusalem Decree

²² Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named ^(A)Barsabas,^[a] and Silas, leading men among the brethren.

²³ They wrote this letter by them:

Continuing Ministry in Syria

³⁰ So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. ³¹ When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. ³² Now Judas and Silas, themselves being ^(H)prophets also, ^(I)exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. ³³ And after they had stayed there for a time, they were ^(J)sent back with greetings from the brethren to ^[e]the apostles.

^34 [f]However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. ^35 (K)Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Division over John Mark

³⁶ Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas ^[g]was determined to take with them ^(L)John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul insisted that they should not take with them ^(M)the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to ^(N)Cyprus; ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, ^(O)being ^[h]commended by the brethren to the grace of God. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, ^(P)strengthening the churches.

The King of Glory and His Kingdom

A Psalm of David.

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.” ¹⁷ But the midwives ^(R)feared God, and did not do ^(S)as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. ¹⁸ So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”

¹⁹ And ^(T)the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they ^[e]are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

^20 (U)Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and ^[f]grew very mighty. ²¹ And so it was, because the midwives feared God, ^(V)that He ^[g]provided households for them.

²² So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, ^(W)“Every son who is ^[h]born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

Moses Is Born^(X)

2 And ^(Y)a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. ² So the woman conceived and bore a son. And ^(Z)when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. ³ But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of ^(AA)bulrushes for him, daubed it with ^(AB)asphalt and ^(AC)pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds ^(AD)by the river’s bank. ^4 (AE)And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

⁵ Then the ^(AF)daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. ⁶ And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

⁷ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

⁸ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. ⁹ Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became ^(AG)her son. So she called his name ^[i]Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian^(AH)

¹¹ Now it came to pass in those days, ^(AI)when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹² So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he ^(AJ)killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ And ^(AK)when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men ^(AL)were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

¹⁴ Then he said, ^(AM)“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses ^(AN)feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(AO)Moses fled from ^[j]the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of ^(AP)Midian; and he sat down by ^(AQ)a well.

^16 (AR)Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. ^(AS)And they came and drew water, and they filled the ^(AT)troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Then the ^(AU)shepherds came and ^(AV)drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and ^(AW)watered their flock.

¹⁸ When they came to ^(AX)Reuel^[k] their father, ^(AY)he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

¹⁹ And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may ^(AZ)eat bread.”

²¹ Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave ^(BA)Zipporah his daughter to Moses. ²² And she bore him a son. He called his name ^(BB)Gershom,^[l] for he said, “I have been ^(BC)a ^[m]stranger in a foreign land.”

²³ Now it happened ^(BD)in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel ^(BE)groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and ^(BF)their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God ^(BG)heard their groaning, and God ^(BH)remembered His ^(BI)covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God ^(BJ)looked upon the children of Israel, and God ^(BK)acknowledged them.

Moses at the Burning Bush^(BL)

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of ^(BM)Jethro his father-in-law, ^(BN)the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to ^(BO)Horeb, ^(BP)the mountain of God. ² And ^(BQ)the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. ³ Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this ^(BR)great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

⁴ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called ^(BS)to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

⁵ Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. ^(BT)Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” ⁶ Moreover He said, ^(BU)“I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for ^(BV)he was afraid to look upon God.

⁷ And the Lord said: ^(BW)“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry ^(BX)because of their taskmasters, ^(BY)for I know their ^[n]sorrows. ⁸ So ^(BZ)I have come down to ^(CA)deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land ^(CB)to a good and large land, to a land ^(CC)flowing with milk and honey, to the place of ^(CD)the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. ⁹ Now therefore, behold, ^(CE)the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the ^(CF)oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ^10 (CG)Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses said to God, ^(CH)“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

¹² So He said, ^(CI)“I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a ^(CJ)sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

¹³ Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

¹⁴ And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ^(CK)‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” ¹⁵ Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is ^(CL)My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ ¹⁶ Go and ^(CM)gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, ^(CN)“I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; ¹⁷ and I have said ^(CO)I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ ¹⁸ Then ^(CP)they will heed your voice; and ^(CQ)you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has ^(CR)met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹ But I am sure that the king of Egypt ^(CS)will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. ²⁰ So I will ^(CT)stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with ^(CU)all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and ^(CV)after that he will let you go. ²¹ And ^(CW)I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. ^22 (CX)But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, ^(CY)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So ^(CZ)you shall plunder the Egyptians.”