The Lord Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(A)Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by ^(B)a well.

¹⁶ Now the ^(C)priest of Midian had seven daughters, and ^(D)they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and ^(E)watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came home to their father ^(F)Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and ^(G)watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may ^(H)eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter ^(I)Zipporah. ²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name ^(J)Gershom, for he said, “I have been a ^(K)sojourner^[a] in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel's Groaning

^23 (L)During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel ^(M)groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ^(N)Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. ²⁴ And ^(O)God heard their groaning, and God ^(P)remembered his covenant with ^(Q)Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God ^(R)saw the people of Israel—and God ^(S)knew.

⁹ But you are ^(A)a chosen race, ^(B)a royal ^(C)priesthood, ^(D)a holy nation, ^(E)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(F)out of darkness into ^(G)his marvelous light. ^10 (H)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you ^(I)as sojourners and exiles ^(J)to abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^(K)which wage war against your soul. ^12 (L)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(M)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(N)the day of visitation.