Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

All People 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)say to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say 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 Extend My Hand

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(D)See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. ² As for you, 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, so that I may ^(G)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When ^(H)Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay My hand on Egypt and ^(I)bring out My armies, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by ^(J)great judgments. ⁵ Then ^(K)the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I ^(L)extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron did this; ^(M)as the Lord commanded them, so they did. ⁷ And Moses was ^(N)eighty years old and Aaron ^[b]eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Turns into 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, so that it may turn into a serpent.’” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and ^[d]his servants, and it ^(Q)turned into a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also ^(R)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the ^(S)soothsayer priests of Egypt, did 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 their staffs. ¹³ Yet ^(U)Pharaoh’s heart was ^[e]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

Followers of Tradition

7 ^(A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came ^(B)from Jerusalem, ² and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with ^[a](C)unholy hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they ^[b]carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the ^(D)tradition of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they ^[c]completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the ^[d]washing of ^(E)cups, pitchers, and copper pots.) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the ^(F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with ^(G)[e]unholy hands?” ⁶ But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about 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)The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is ^[f]certainly to be put to death’; ¹¹ but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is ^(N)Corban (that is, ^[g]given to God),’ ¹² you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thereby invalidating the word of God by your ^(O)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”