A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you,^(A) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,^(B) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform^(C) to the pattern of this world,^(D) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.^(E) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is^(F)—his good, pleasing^(G) and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

³ For by the grace given me^(H) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,^{(I) 5} so in Christ we, though many, form one body,^(J) and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts,^(K) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,^(L) then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith;^{(M) 7} if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;^{(N) 8} if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;^(O) if it is giving, then give generously;^(P) if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere.^(Q) Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.^{(R) 10} Be devoted to one another in love.^(S) Honor one another above yourselves.^{(T) 11} Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,^(U) serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope,^(V) patient in affliction,^(W) faithful in prayer.^{(X) 13} Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.^(Y) Practice hospitality.^(Z)

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you;^(AA) bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.^{(AB) 16} Live in harmony with one another.^(AC) Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited.^(AD)

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil.^(AE) Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.^{(AF) 18} If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.^{(AG) 19} Do not take revenge,^(AH) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[d](AI) says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen^(A) to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

² Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,”^(B) he replied.

³ The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,^(C) and he ran from it. ⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. ⁵ “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe^(D) that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

⁶ Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous^[a]—it had become as white as snow.^(E)

⁷ “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored,^(F) like the rest of his flesh.

⁸ Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe^(G) you or pay attention to the first sign,^(H) they may believe the second. ⁹ But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood^(I) on the ground.”

¹⁰ Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”^(J)

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?^(K) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?^(L) Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go;^(M) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”^(N)

¹³ But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”^(O)

¹⁴ Then the Lord’s anger burned^(P) against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet^(Q) you, and he will be glad to see you. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;^(R) I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth^(S) and as if you were God to him.^{(T) 17} But take this staff^(U) in your hand^(V) so you can perform the signs^(W) with it.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

¹⁹ Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill^(X) you are dead.^(Y)” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons,^(Z) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff^(AA) of God in his hand.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders^(AB) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart^(AC) so that he will not let the people go.^{(AD) 22} Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,^{(AE) 23} and I told you, “Let my son go,^(AF) so he may worship^(AG) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”^(AH)

²⁴ At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses^[b] and was about to kill^(AI) him. ²⁵ But Zipporah^(AJ) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin^(AK) and touched Moses’ feet with it.^[c] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. ²⁶ So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain^(AL) of God and kissed^(AM) him. ²⁸ Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

²⁹ Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders^(AN) of the Israelites, ³⁰ and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs^(AO) before the people, ³¹ and they believed.^(AP) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned^(AQ) about them and had seen their misery,^(AR) they bowed down and worshiped.^(AS)

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,^(AT) so that they may hold a festival^(AU) to me in the wilderness.’”

² Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,^(AV) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”^(AW)

³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey^(AX) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues^(AY) or with the sword.”

⁴ But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?^(AZ) Get back to your work!” ⁵ Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,^(BA) and you are stopping them from working.”

⁶ That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers^(BB) and overseers in charge of the people: ⁷ “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;^(BC) let them go and gather their own straw. ⁸ But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.^(BD) They are lazy;^(BE) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(BF) 9} Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

¹⁰ Then the slave drivers^(BG) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. ¹¹ Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced^(BH) at all.’” ¹² So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. ¹³ The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” ¹⁴ And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,^(BI) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

¹⁵ Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? ¹⁶ Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

¹⁷ Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!^(BJ) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now get to work.^(BK) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

¹⁹ The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” ²⁰ When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, ²¹ and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge^(BL) you! You have made us obnoxious^(BM) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword^(BN) in their hand to kill us.”^(BO)

God Promises Deliverance

²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?^(BP) Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued^(BQ) your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand^(BR) he will let them go;^(BS) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”^(BT)

² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.^{(BU) 3} I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,^[d](BV) but by my name^(BW) the Lord^[e](BX) I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant^(BY) with them to give them the land^(BZ) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.^{(CA) 5} Moreover, I have heard the groaning^(CB) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.^(CC)

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.^(CD) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem^(CE) you with an outstretched arm^(CF) and with mighty acts of judgment.^{(CG) 7} I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.^(CH) Then you will know^(CI) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land^(CJ) I swore^(CK) with uplifted hand^(CL) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.^(CM) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”^(CN)

⁹ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.^(CO)

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go, tell^(CP) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”^(CQ)

¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen^(CR) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips^[f]?”^(CS)