Book of Common Prayer

ק Qoph

ר Resh

ש Sin and Shin

ת Taw

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord.

Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake

⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. ⁹ He said, “Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Do a miracle.’ When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.’ It will turn into a snake.”

¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw the stick down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and people who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. ¹² Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake. But Aaron’s walking stick swallowed theirs up. ¹³ In spite of that, Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh is very stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ In the morning Pharaoh will go down to the Nile River. Go and meet him on the bank of the river. Take in your hand the walking stick that turned into a snake. ¹⁶ Say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me in the desert. But up to now you have not listened.” ¹⁷ The Lord says, “Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with the walking stick that is in my hand. The river will turn into blood. ¹⁸ The fish in the river will die. The river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” ’ ”

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Get your walking stick. Reach your hand out over the waters of Egypt. The streams, canals, ponds and all the lakes will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt. It will even be in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’ ”

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all the water turned into blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.

²² But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. So Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. ²³ Even that miracle didn’t change Pharaoh’s mind. In fact, he turned around and went into his palace. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug holes near the Nile River to get drinking water. They couldn’t drink water from the river.

¹⁴ Give thanks to God! He always leads us as if we were prisoners in Christ’s victory parade. Through us, God spreads the knowledge of Christ everywhere like perfume. ¹⁵ God considers us to be the pleasing smell that Christ is spreading. He is spreading it among people who are being saved and people who are dying. ¹⁶ To those who are dying, we are the smell of death. To those who are being saved, we are the perfume of life. Who is able to do this work? ¹⁷ Unlike many people, we aren’t selling God’s word to make money. In fact, it is just the opposite. Because of Christ we speak honestly before God. We speak like people God has sent.

3 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Some people need letters that speak well of them. Do we need those kinds of letters, either to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter. You are written on our hearts. Everyone knows you and reads you. ³ You make it clear that you are a letter from Christ. You are the result of our work for God. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You are a letter written not on tablets made out of stone but on human hearts.

⁴ Through Christ, we can be sure of this before God. ⁵ In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God. ⁶ He has given us the power to serve under a new covenant. The covenant is not based on the written Law of Moses. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The written Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

10 Jesus left that place and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again crowds of people came to him. As usual, he taught them.

² Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”

⁵ “You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ (Genesis 1:27) ⁷ ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. ⁸ The two of them will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) They are no longer two, but one. ⁹ So no one should separate what God has joined together.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. ¹² And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”

Little Children Are Brought to Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on them to bless them. But the disciples told them to stop. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. ¹⁵ What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.