Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁷ [Gimel.] Confer benefits on Thy servant, I live, and I keep Thy word.

¹⁸ Uncover mine eyes, and I behold wonders out of Thy law.

¹⁹ A sojourner I [am] on earth, Hide not from me Thy commands.

²⁰ Broken hath my soul for desire Unto Thy judgments at all times.

²¹ Thou hast rebuked the cursed proud, Who are erring from Thy commands.

²² Remove from me reproach and contempt, For Thy testimonies I have kept.

²³ Princes also sat -- against me they spoke, Thy servant doth meditate in Thy statutes,

²⁴ Thy testimonies also [are] my delight, The men of my counsel!

4 And Moses answereth and saith, `And, if they do not give credence to me, nor hearken to my voice, and say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee?'

² And Jehovah saith unto him, `What [is] this in thy hand?' and he saith, `A rod;'

³ and He saith, `Cast it to the earth;' and he casteth it to the earth, and it becometh a serpent -- and Moses fleeth from its presence.

⁴ And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Put forth thy hand, and lay hold on the tail of it;' and he putteth forth his hand, and layeth hold on it, and it becometh a rod in his hand --

⁵ `-- so that they believe that Jehovah, God of their fathers, hath appeared unto thee, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.'

⁶ And Jehovah saith to him again, `Put in, I pray thee, thy hand into thy bosom;' and he putteth in his hand into his bosom, and he bringeth it out, and lo, his hand [is] leprous as snow;

⁷ and He saith, `Put back thy hand unto thy bosom;' and he putteth back his hand unto his bosom, and he bringeth it out from his bosom, and lo, it hath turned back as his flesh --

⁸ `-- and it hath come to pass, if they do not give credence to thee, and hearken not to the voice of the first sign, that they have given credence to the voice of the latter sign.

⁹ `And it hath come to pass, if they do not give credence even to these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, that thou hast taken of the waters of the River, and hast poured on the dry land, and the waters which thou takest from the River have been, yea, they have become -- blood on the dry land.'

¹⁰ And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `O, my Lord, I [am] not a man of words, either yesterday, or before, or since Thy speaking unto Thy servant, for I [am] slow of mouth, and slow of tongue.'

¹¹ And Jehovah saith unto him, `Who appointed a mouth for man? or who appointeth the dumb, or deaf, or open, or blind? is it not I, Jehovah?

¹² and now, go, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and have directed thee that which thou speakest;'

¹³ and he saith, `O, my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand Thou dost send.'

¹⁴ And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Moses, and He saith, `Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I have known that he speaketh well, and also, lo, he is coming out to meet thee; when he hath seen thee, then he hath rejoiced in his heart,

¹⁵ and thou hast spoken unto him, and hast set the words in his mouth, and I -- I am with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and have directed you that which ye do;

¹⁶ and he, he hath spoken for thee unto the people, and it hath come to pass, he -- he is to thee for a mouth, and thou -- thou art to him for God;

¹⁷ and this rod thou dost take in thy hand, with which thou doest the signs.'

2 Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings,

² as new-born babes the word's pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow,

³ if so be ye did taste that the Lord [is] gracious,

⁴ to whom coming -- a living stone -- by men, indeed, having been disapproved of, but with God choice, precious,

⁵ and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶ Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: `Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;'

⁷ to you, then, who are believing [is] the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner,

⁸ and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence -- who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving, -- to which also they were set;

⁹ and ye [are] a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light;

¹⁰ who [were] once not a people, and [are] now the people of God; who had not found kindness, and now have found kindness.