Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 114

¹ When Israel came forth out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,

² Judah became [God’s] sanctuary (the Holy Place of His habitation), and Israel His dominion.^(A)

³ The [Red] Sea looked and fled; the Jordan [River] was turned back.^(B)

⁴ The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.

⁵ What ails you, O [Red] Sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

⁶ You mountains, that you skip like rams, and you little hills, like lambs?

⁷ Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

⁸ Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.^(C)

14 And the Lord said to Moses,

² Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the [Red] Sea, before ^[a]Baal-zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea.

³ For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, They are entangled in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.

⁴ I will harden (make stubborn, strong) Pharaoh’s heart, that he will pursue them, and I will gain honor and glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

⁵ It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done? We have let Israel go from serving us!

⁶ And he made ready his chariots and took his army,

⁷ And took 600 chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

⁸ The Lord made hard and strong the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, for [they] left proudly and defiantly.^(A)

⁹ The Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the [Red] Sea by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked up, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and the Israelites were exceedingly frightened and cried out to the Lord.

¹¹ And they said to Moses, Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way and brought us out of Egypt?

¹² Did we not tell you in Egypt, Let us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.

¹³ Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.

¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.

¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!

¹⁶ Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the Israelites shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

¹⁷ And I, behold, I will harden (make stubborn and strong) the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go [into the sea] after them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and horsemen.

¹⁸ The Egyptians shall know and realize that I am the Lord when I have gained honor and glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.

⁹ And the patriarchs [Jacob’s sons], boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him,^(A)

¹⁰ And delivered him from all his distressing afflictions and won him goodwill and favor and wisdom and understanding in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him governor over Egypt and all his house.^(B)

¹¹ Then there came a famine over all of Egypt and Canaan, with great distress, and our forefathers could find no fodder [for the cattle] or vegetable sustenance [for their households].^(C)

¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our forefathers [to go there on their] first trip.^(D)

¹³ And on their second visit Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh and his origin and race.^(E)

¹⁴ And Joseph sent an invitation calling to himself Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all.^(F)

¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, where he himself died, as did [also] our forefathers;^(G)

¹⁶ And their ^[a]bodies [Jacob’s and Joseph’s] were taken back to Shechem and laid in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of [silver] money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.^(H)