Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

121 A Song of the Ascents. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills, Whence doth my help come?

² My help [is] from Jehovah, maker of heaven and earth,

³ He suffereth not thy foot to be moved, Thy preserver slumbereth not.

⁴ Lo, He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, He who is preserving Israel.

⁵ Jehovah [is] thy preserver, Jehovah [is] thy shade on thy right hand,

⁶ By day the sun doth not smite thee, Nor the moon by night.

⁷ Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil, He doth preserve thy soul.

⁸ Jehovah preserveth thy going out and thy coming in, From henceforth even unto the age!

²⁹ And it cometh to pass, at midnight, that Jehovah hath smitten every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive who [is] in the prison-house, and every first-born of beasts.

³⁰ And Pharaoh riseth by night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there is a great cry in Egypt, for there is not a house where there is not [one] dead,

³¹ and he calleth for Moses and for Aaron by night, and saith, `Rise, go out from the midst of my people, both ye and the sons of Israel, and go, serve Jehovah according to your word;

³² both your flock and your herd take ye, as ye have spoken, and go; then ye have blessed also me.'

³³ And the Egyptians are urgent on the people, hasting to send them away out of the land, for they said, `We are all dead;'

³⁴ and the people taketh up its dough before it is fermented, their kneading-troughs [are] bound up in their garments on their shoulder.

³⁵ And the sons of Israel have done according to the word of Moses, and they ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments;

³⁶ and Jehovah hath given the grace of the people in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they cause them to ask, and they spoil the Egyptians.

³⁷ And the sons of Israel journey from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, apart from infants;

³⁸ and a great rabble also hath gone up with them, and flock and herd -- very much cattle.

³⁹ And they bake with the dough which they have brought out from Egypt unleavened cakes, for it hath not fermented; for they have been cast out of Egypt, and have not been able to delay, and also provision they have not made for themselves.

⁴⁰ And the dwelling of the sons of Israel which they have dwelt in Egypt [is] four hundred and thirty years;

⁴¹ and it cometh to pass, at the end of four hundred and thirty years -- yea, it cometh to pass in this self-same day -- all the hosts of Jehovah have gone out from the land of Egypt.

⁴² A night of watchings it [is] to Jehovah, to bring them out from the land of Egypt; it [is] this night to Jehovah of watchings to all the sons of Israel to their generations.

13 Let every soul to the higher authorities be subject, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities existing are appointed by God,

² so that he who is setting himself against the authority, against God's ordinance hath resisted; and those resisting, to themselves shall receive judgment.

³ For those ruling are not a terror to the good works, but to the evil; and dost thou wish not to be afraid of the authority? that which is good be doing, and thou shalt have praise from it,

⁴ for of God it is a ministrant to thee for good; and if that which is evil thou mayest do, be fearing, for not in vain doth it bear the sword; for of God it is a ministrant, an avenger for wrath to him who is doing that which is evil.

⁵ Wherefore it is necessary to be subject, not only because of the wrath, but also because of the conscience,

⁶ for because of this also pay ye tribute; for servants of God they are, on this very thing attending continually;

⁷ render, therefore, to all [their] dues; to whom tribute, the tribute; to whom custom, the custom; to whom fear, the fear; to whom honour, the honour.