Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 100

Be Thankful

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

²⁸ On the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ He said to him, “I am Yahweh;^(A) tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I am telling you.”

³⁰ But Moses replied in the Lord’s presence, “Since I am such a poor speaker,^[a](B) how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 The Lord answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. ² You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart^(C) and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put My hand on Egypt and bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh^(D) when I stretch out My hand^(E) against Egypt, and bring out the Israelites from among them.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron did this; they did just as the Lord commanded them. ⁷ Moses was 80 years old^(F) and Aaron 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh. It will become a serpent.’”^{(G) 10} So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ But then Pharaoh called the wise men and sorcerers—the magicians^(H) of Egypt, and they also did the same thing by their occult practices.^{(I) 12} Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. ¹³ However, Pharaoh’s heart hardened,^(J) and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

The Traditions of the Elders

7 The^(A) Pharisees^(B) and some of the scribes^(C) who had come from Jerusalem^(D) gathered around Him. ² They observed that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unclean^(E)—that is, unwashed—hands. ³ (For the Pharisees, in fact all the Jews, will not eat unless they wash their hands ritually, keeping the tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace,^(F) they do not eat unless they have washed.^(G) And there are many other customs they have received and keep, like the washing of cups, jugs, copper utensils, and dining couches.^[a](H)) ⁵ Then the Pharisees^(I) and the scribes^(J) asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders,^(K) instead of eating bread with ritually unclean^[b] hands?”

⁶ He answered them, “Isaiah^(L) prophesied^(M) correctly about you hypocrites,^(N) as it is written:^(O)

⁸ Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.”^{[d] 9} He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain^[e] your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses^(U) said:

¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or mother: Whatever benefit^(X) you might have received from me is Corban’” (that is, a gift^(Y) committed to the temple), ¹² “you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. ¹³ You revoke God’s word^(Z) by your tradition that you have handed^(AA) down. And you do many other similar things.”