Sing to the Lord a New Song

The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(A)“Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says ^(B)the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ² For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, ³ behold, ^(C)the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. ^4 (D)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”’” ⁵ And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶ And the next day the Lord did this thing. ^(E)All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. ⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But ^(F)the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

Concern for the Corinthian Church

^11 (A)I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was ^(B)not at all inferior to these super-apostles, ^(C)even though I am nothing. ^12 (D)The signs of a true apostle were performed among you ^(E)with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. ¹³ For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that ^(F)I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴ Here ^(G)for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for ^(H)I seek not what is yours but you. For ^(I)children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but ^(J)parents for their children. ^15 (K)I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If ^(L)I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶ But granting that ^(M)I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you ^(N)through any of those whom I sent to you? ^18 (O)I urged Titus to go, and sent ^(P)the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is ^(Q)in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and ^(R)all for your upbuilding, beloved. ²⁰ For I fear that perhaps ^(S)when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. ²¹ I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those ^(T)who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, ^(U)sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.