Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
19 Now the angel of God that usually traveled in front of Israel’s army moved behind them. Also, the pillar of cloud moved from in front of the people and stood behind them. 20 So the cloud came between the Egyptians and the Israelites. This made it dark for the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. So the cloud kept the two armies apart all night.
21 Then Moses held his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind, making the sea become dry ground. The water was split, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23 Then all the king’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers followed them into the sea. 24 When morning came, the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire at the Egyptian army and made them panic. 25 He kept the wheels of the chariots from turning, making it hard to drive the chariots. The Egyptians shouted, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them and against Egypt.”
26 Then the Lord told Moses, “Hold your hand over the sea so that the water will come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses raised his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its place. The Egyptians tried to run from it, but the Lord swept them away into the sea. 28 The water returned, covering the chariots, chariot drivers, and all the king’s army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 So that day the Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. 31 When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord, and they trusted him and his servant Moses.
God Brought Israel from Egypt
114 When the Israelites went out of Egypt,
the people of Jacob left that foreign country.
2 Then Judah became God’s holy place;
Israel became the land he ruled.
3 The Red Sea looked and ran away;
the Jordan River turned back.
4 The mountains danced like sheep
and the hills like little lambs.
5 Sea, why did you run away?
Jordan, why did you turn back?
6 Mountains, why did you dance like sheep?
Hills, why did you dance like little lambs?
7 Earth, shake with fear before the Lord,
before the God of Jacob.
8 He turned a rock into a pool of water,
a hard rock into a spring of water.
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord,
because he is worthy of great honor.
He has thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea.
2 The Lord gives me strength and makes me sing;
he has saved me.
He is my God,
and I will praise him.
He is the God of my ancestors,
and I will honor him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 The chariots and soldiers of the king of Egypt
he has thrown into the sea.
The king’s best officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters covered them,
and they sank to the bottom like a rock.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
is amazingly strong.
Lord, your right hand
broke the enemy to pieces.
7 In your great victory
you destroyed those who were against you.
Your anger destroyed them,
like fire burning straw.
8 Just a blast of your breath,
and the waters piled up.
The moving water stood like a wall;
the deep waters became solid in the middle of the sea.
9 “The enemy bragged,
‘I’ll chase them and catch them.
I’ll take all their riches;
I’ll take all I want.
I’ll pull out my sword,
and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew on them with your breath
and covered them with the sea.
They sank like lead
in the raging water.
11 “Are there any gods like you, Lord?
There are no gods like you.
You are wonderfully holy,
amazingly powerful,
a worker of miracles.
20 Then Aaron’s sister Miriam, a prophetess, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam told them:
“Sing to the Lord,
because he is worthy of great honor;
he has thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea.”
Do Not Criticize Other People
14 Accept into your group someone who is weak in faith, and do not argue about opinions. 2 One person believes it is right to eat all kinds of food.[a] But another, who is weak, believes it is right to eat only vegetables. 3 The one who knows that it is right to eat any kind of food must not reject the one who eats only vegetables. And the person who eats only vegetables must not think that the one who eats all foods is wrong, because God has accepted that person. 4 You cannot judge another person’s servant. The master decides if the servant is doing well or not. And the Lord’s servant will do well because the Lord helps him do well.
5 Some think that one day is more important than another, and others think that every day is the same. Let all be sure in their own mind. 6 Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord, and they give thanks to God. Others who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord, and they give thanks to God. 7 We do not live or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord.
9 The reason Christ died and rose from the dead to live again was so he would be Lord over both the dead and the living. 10 So why do you judge your brothers or sisters in Christ? And why do you think you are better than they are? We will all stand before God to be judged, 11 because it is written in the Scriptures:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘Everyone will bow before me;
everyone will say that I am God.’” Isaiah 45:23
12 So each of us will have to answer to God.
An Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.
23 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24 When the king began to collect his money, a servant who owed him several million dollars was brought to him. 25 But the servant did not have enough money to pay his master, the king. So the master ordered that everything the servant owned should be sold, even the servant’s wife and children. Then the money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.
26 “But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt sorry for his servant and told him he did not have to pay it back. Then he let the servant go free.
28 “Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a few dollars. The servant grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
29 “The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe.’
30 “But the first servant refused to be patient. He threw the other servant into prison until he could pay everything he owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very sorry. So they went and told their master all that had happened.
32 “Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything. 33 You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you.’ 34 The master was very angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.
35 “This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.