Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

All Men Exhorted to Praise God.

A Psalm for ^[a]Thanksgiving.

²⁸ Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “^(A)I am the Lord; ^(B)speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” ³⁰ But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am ^[a](C)unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

“I Will Stretch Out My Hand”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(D)See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother ^(E)Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. ³ But ^(F)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may ^(G)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When ^(H)Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and ^(I)bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by ^(J)great judgments. ^5 (K)The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I ^(L)stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron did it; ^(M)as the Lord commanded them, thus they did. ⁷ Moses was ^(N)eighty years old and Aaron ^[b]eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Rod Becomes a Serpent

⁸ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ⁹ “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘^[c](O)Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘^(P)Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and ^[d]his servants, and it ^(Q)became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also ^(R)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the ^[e](S)magicians of Egypt, did ^[f]the same with ^(T)their secret arts. ¹² For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet ^(U)Pharaoh’s heart was ^[g]hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Followers of Tradition

7 ^(A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come ^(B)from Jerusalem, ² and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with ^(C)impure hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they ^[a]carefully wash their hands, thus observing the ^(D)traditions of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they ^[b]cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the ^[c]washing of ^(E)cups and pitchers and copper pots.) ⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the ^(F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with ^(G)impure hands?” ⁶ And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the ^(J)tradition of men.”

⁹ He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your ^(K)tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘^(L)Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘^(M)He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to ^[d]be put to death’; ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is ^(N)Corban (that is to say, ^[e]given to God),’ ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thus invalidating the word of God by your ^(O)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”