Moses Escapes to Midian

^11 (A)When Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Hebrews, and he saw how they were forced to do hard labor. He even saw an Egyptian kill a Hebrew, one of Moses' own people. ¹² Moses looked all around, and when he saw that no one was watching, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went back and saw two Hebrew men fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why are you beating up a fellow Hebrew?”

¹⁴ The man answered, “Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just as you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said to himself, “People have found out what I have done.” ^15-16 (B)When the king heard about what had happened, he tried to have Moses killed, but Moses fled and went to live in the land of Midian.

One day, when Moses was sitting by a well, seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came to draw water and fill the troughs for their father's sheep and goats. ¹⁷ But some shepherds drove Jethro's daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them. ¹⁸ When they returned to their father, he asked, “Why have you come back so early today?”

¹⁹ “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered, “and he even drew water for us and watered our animals.”

²⁰ “Where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us.”

²¹ So Moses decided to live there, and Jethro gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage, ²² who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, “I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom.”^[a]

²³ Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God, ^24 (C)who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ He saw the slavery of the Israelites and was concerned for them.^[b]

God Calls Moses

3 One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. ^2 (D)There the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. ³ “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”

He answered, “Yes, here I am.”

⁵ God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. ⁶ I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings, ⁸ and so I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of Egypt to a spacious land, one which is rich and fertile and in which the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites now live. ⁹ I have indeed heard the cry of my people, and I see how the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ Now I am sending you to the king of Egypt so that you can lead my people out of his country.”

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² God answered, “I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. That will be the proof that I have sent you.”

^13 (E)But Moses replied, “When I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ So what can I tell them?”

^14 (F)God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: ‘The one who is called I Am^[c] has sent me to you.’ ¹⁵ Tell the Israelites that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have sent you to them. This is my name forever; this is what all future generations are to call me. ¹⁶ Go and gather the leaders of Israel together and tell them that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to you. Tell them that I have come to them and have seen what the Egyptians are doing to them. ¹⁷ I have decided that I will bring them out of Egypt, where they are being treated cruelly, and will take them to a rich and fertile land—the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

¹⁸ “My people will listen to what you say to them. Then you must go with the leaders of Israel to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has revealed himself to us. Now allow us to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’ ¹⁹ I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced to do so. ²⁰ But I will use my power and will punish Egypt by doing terrifying things there. After that he will let you go.

^21 (G)“I will make the Egyptians respect you so that when my people leave, they will not go empty-handed. ²² Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors and to any Egyptian woman living in her house and will ask for clothing and for gold and silver jewelry. The Israelites will put these things on their sons and daughters and carry away the wealth of the Egyptians.”

^10 (A)Then the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?”

^11 (B)“Elijah is indeed coming first,” answered Jesus, “and he will get everything ready. ^12 (C)But I tell you that Elijah has already come and people did not recognize him, but treated him just as they pleased. In the same way they will also mistreat the Son of Man.”

¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon^(D)

¹⁴ When they returned to the crowd, a man came to Jesus, knelt before him, ¹⁵ and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered, “How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me!” ¹⁸ Jesus gave a command to the demon, and it went out of the boy, and at that very moment he was healed.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn't we drive the demon out?”

^20 (E)“It was because you do not have enough faith,” answered Jesus. “I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go. You could do anything!” ^21 [a]

Jesus Speaks Again about His Death^(F)

²² When the disciples all came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be handed over to those ²³ who will kill him; but three days later he will be raised to life.”

The disciples became very sad.

Payment of the Temple Tax

^24 (G)When Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”

²⁵ “Of course,” Peter answered.

When Peter went into the house, Jesus spoke up first, “Simon, what is your opinion? Who pays duties or taxes to the kings of this world? The citizens of the country or the foreigners?”

²⁶ “The foreigners,” answered Peter.

“Well, then,” replied Jesus, “that means that the citizens don't have to pay. ²⁷ But we don't want to offend these people. So go to the lake and drop in a line. Pull up the first fish you hook, and in its mouth you will find a coin worth enough for my Temple tax and yours. Take it and pay them our taxes.”

A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise^[a]

⁷ Now listen to me, sons, and never forget what I am saying. ⁸ Keep away from such a woman! Don't even go near her door! ⁹ If you do, others will gain the respect that you once had, and you will die young at the hands of merciless people. ¹⁰ Yes, strangers will take all your wealth, and what you have worked for will belong to someone else. ¹¹ You will lie groaning on your deathbed, your flesh and muscles being eaten away, ¹² and you will say, “Why would I never learn? Why would I never let anyone correct me? ¹³ I wouldn't listen to my teachers. I paid no attention to them. ¹⁴ And suddenly I found myself^[a] publicly disgraced.”