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Victory over the Amalekites
8 [a] Amalek came[b] and attacked[c] Israel in Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our[d] men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him,[e] and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands,[f] then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would rest[g] his hands, then Amalek prevailed. 12 When[h] the hands of Moses became heavy,[i] they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other,[j] and so his hands were steady[k] until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua destroyed[l] Amalek and his army[m] with the sword.[n]
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the[o] book, and rehearse[p] it in Joshua’s hearing;[q] for I will surely wipe out[r] the remembrance[s] of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,”[t] 16 for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord[u]—that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”[v]
The Advice of Jethro
18 [w] Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that[x] the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.[y]
2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back, 3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom[z] (for Moses[aa] had said, “I have been a foreigner[ab] in a foreign land”) 4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said,[ac] “The God of my father has been my help[ad] and delivered[ae] me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’[af] sons and his wife, came to Moses in the wilderness where he was camping by[ag] the mountain of God.[ah] 6 He said[ai] to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him;[aj] they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship[ak] that had come on them[al] along the way, and how[am] the Lord had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoiced[an] because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed[ao] be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control![ap] 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”[aq] 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought[ar] a burnt offering and sacrifices for God,[as] and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food[at] with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
13 On the next day[au] Moses sat to judge[av] the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this[aw] that you are doing for the people?[ax] Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire[ay] of God. 16 When they have a dispute,[az] it comes to me and I decide[ba] between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”[bb]
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What[bc] you are doing is not good! 18 You will surely wear out,[bd] both you and these people who are with you, for this is too[be] heavy a burden[bf] for you; you are not able to do it by yourself. 19 Now listen to me,[bg] I will give you advice, and may God be with you. You be a representative for the people to God,[bh] and you bring[bi] their disputes[bj] to God; 20 warn[bk] them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk[bl] and the work they must do.[bm] 21 But you choose[bn] from the people capable men,[bo] God-fearing men,[bp] men of truth,[bq] those who hate bribes,[br] and put them over the people[bs] as rulers[bt] of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 They will judge[bu] the people under normal circumstances,[bv] and every difficult case[bw] they will bring to you, but every small case[bx] they themselves will judge, so that[by] you may make it easier for yourself,[bz] and they will bear the burden[ca] with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you,[cb] then you will be able[cc] to endure,[cd] and all these people[ce] will be able to go[cf] home[cg] satisfied.”[ch]
24 Moses listened to[ci] his father-in-law and did everything he had said. 25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring[cj] to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,[ck] and so Jethro[cl] went[cm] to his own land.[cn]
Israel at Sinai
19 [co] In the third month after the Israelites went out[cp] from the land of Egypt, on the very day,[cq] they came to the desert of Sinai. 2 After they journeyed[cr] from Rephidim, they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.[cs]
3 Moses[ct] went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people[cu] of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings[cv] and brought you to myself.[cw] 5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me[cx] and keep[cy] my covenant, then you will be my[cz] special possession[da] out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 6 and you will be to me[db] a kingdom of priests[dc] and a holy nation.’[dd] These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, 8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”[de] So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come[df] to you in a dense cloud,[dg] so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.”[dh] And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them[di] today and tomorrow, and make them wash[dj] their clothes 11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You must set boundaries[dk] for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed[dl] to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! 13 No hand will touch him[dm]—but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being;[dn] he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may[do] go up on the mountain.”
14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not approach your wives for marital relations.”[dp]
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when the Pharisees[a] heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,[b] they assembled together.[c] 35 And one of them, an expert in religious law,[d] asked him a question to test[e] him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”[f] 37 Jesus[g] said to him, “‘Love[h] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[i] 38 This is the first and greatest[j] commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[k] 40 All the law and the prophets depend[l] on these two commandments.”
The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord
41 While[m] the Pharisees[n] were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:[o] 42 “What do you think about the Christ?[p] Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.”[q] 43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my lord,[r]
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?[s]
45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”[t] 46 No one[u] was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
Seven Woes
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The[v] experts in the law[w] and the Pharisees[x] sit on Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.[y] 4 They[z] tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 5 They[aa] do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries[ab] wide and their tassels[ac] long. 6 They[ad] love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues[ae] 7 and elaborate greetings[af] in the marketplaces,[ag] and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.[ah] 11 The[ai] greatest among you will be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
7 Hear me,[a] O Lord, when I cry out.
Have mercy on me and answer me.
8 My heart tells me to pray to you,[b]
and I do pray to you, O Lord.[c]
9 Do not reject me.[d]
Do not push your servant away in anger.
You are my deliverer.[e]
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me.
10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me,[f]
the Lord would take me in.[g]
11 Teach me how you want me to live,[h] Lord;
lead me along a level path[i] because of those who wait to ambush me.[j]
12 Do not turn me over to my enemies,[k]
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.[l]
13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?[m]
14 Rely[n] on the Lord!
Be strong and confident![o]
Rely on the Lord!
27 Can a man hold[a] fire[b] against his chest[c]
without[d] burning his clothes?
28 Can[e] a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
29 So it is with[f] the one who sleeps with[g] his neighbor’s wife;
no one[h] who touches[i] her will escape punishment.[j] [k]
30 People[l] do not despise a thief when he steals
to fulfill his need[m] when he is hungry.
31 Yet[n] if he is caught[o] he must repay[p] seven times over,
he might even have to give[q] all the wealth of his house.
32 A man who commits adultery with a woman lacks sense,[r]
whoever does it destroys his own life.[s]
33 He will be beaten and despised,[t]
and his reproach will not be wiped away;[u]
34 for jealousy kindles[v] a husband’s[w] rage,
and he will not show mercy[x] when he takes revenge.
35 He will not consider[y] any compensation;[z]
he will not be willing, even if you multiply the compensation.[aa]
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