Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer Against the Enemies
A song of Asaph.
83 God, do not keep quiet.
God, do not be silent or still.
2 Your enemies are making plans.
Those who hate you are getting ready to attack.
3 They are making plans against your people.
They plan to hurt those you love.
4 They say, “Come, let’s destroy them as a nation.
Then no one will remember the name ‘Israel’ anymore.”
13 My God, make them like the tumbleweed,
like chaff blown away by the wind.
14 Be like a fire that burns a forest
or like flames that blaze through the hills.
15 Chase them with your storm.
Frighten them with your wind.
16 Cover them with shame.
Then people will look for you, Lord.
17 Make them afraid and ashamed forever.
Disgrace them and destroy them.
18 Then they will know that you are the Lord.
They will know that only you are God Most High over all the earth.
Moses and Aaron Before the King
5 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt. They said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.’”
2 But the king of Egypt said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord. And I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has talked with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert. There we will offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war.”
4 But the king said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your hard work! 5 There are very many Hebrews. And now you want them to quit their hard work!”
6 That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen. 7 He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw. 8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy. That is why they are asking me, ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9 Make these people work harder. Keep them busy. Then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses.”
10 So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, “This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before.” 12 So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw. 13 The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, “You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14 The king’s slave masters had chosen the Israelite foremen. They had made them responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past?”
15 Then the Israelite foremen went to the king. They complained and said, “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way? 16 You give us no straw. But we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us. But it is your own people’s fault.”
17 The king answered, “You are lazy! You don’t want to work! That is why you ask to leave here and make sacrifices to the Lord. 18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw. But you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”
19 The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble. This was because the king had told them: “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.” 20 As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were waiting for them. 21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord punish you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us.”
Moses Complains to God
22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here? 23 I went to the king and said what you told me to say. But ever since that time he has made the people suffer. And you have done nothing to save them.”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king of Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. Because of my power, he will force them out of his country.”
2 Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name, God All-Powerful. But they did not know me by my name, the Lord. 4 I also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived in that land, but it was not their own land. 5 Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites. The Egyptians are treating them as slaves. And I remember my agreement. 6 So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free. You will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power. And I will punish the Egyptians terribly. 7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God. I am the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. 8 I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”
9 So Moses told this to the people of Israel. But they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”
12 But Moses answered, “The Israelites will not listen to me. So surely the king will not listen to me, either. I am not a good speaker.”
13 But the Lord told Moses and Aaron to talk to the king. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:
“The One who is holy and true says this to you. He holds the key of David. When he opens something, it cannot be closed. And when he closes something, it cannot be opened. 8 I know what you do. I have put an open door before you, and no one can close it. I know that you have a little strength. But you have followed my teaching. And you were not afraid to speak my name. 9 Listen! There is a synagogue that belongs to Satan. Those in this synagogue say they are Jews, but they are liars. They are not true Jews. I will make them come before you and bow at your feet. They will know that I have loved you. 10 You have followed my teaching about not giving up. So I will keep you from the time of trouble that will come to the whole world. This trouble will test those who live on earth.
11 “I am coming soon. Continue the way you are now. Then no one will take away your crown. 12 I will make the one who wins the victory a pillar in the temple of my God. He will never have to leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. This city is the new Jerusalem.[a] It comes down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on him my new name. 13 Every person who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.