Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
19 Then the angel of God, who was going in front of the camp of Israel, moved behind them. The pillar of cloud also[a] moved from in front of them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. The cloud remained there even[b] in the darkness,[c] illuminating the night, so that the one side did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the water to retreat by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. As the waters were divided, 22 the Israelis went into the middle of the sea on dry land, and the waters formed a wall for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued—all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen—and they went into the middle of the sea after them. 24 In the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian camp through the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into confusion. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots wobble[d] so that they drove them with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from Israel because the Lord is fighting for them and against us.”[e]
The Egyptians Drown in the Sea
26 Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the water will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the water returned to its normal depth at daybreak. The Egyptians tried to retreat in front of the advancing water,[f] but the Lord destroyed[g] the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 The water returned, covering the chariots and the horsemen of Pharaoh’s entire army that had pursued the Israelis into the sea. Not a single one of them remained. 29 But the Israelis walked through the middle of the sea on dry land, and the water stood like a wall for them on their right and on their left.
30 On that day the Lord delivered Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead along the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great force[h] by which the Lord had acted against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed the Lord and Moses his servant.
Deliverance of Israel from Egypt
114 When Israel came out of Egypt—
the household of Jacob from a people of foreign speech—
2 Judah became his sanctuary
and Israel his place of dominion.
3 The sea saw this[a] and fled,
the Jordan River[b] ran backwards,
4 the mountains skipped like rams,
and the hills like lambs.
5 What happened to you, sea, that you fled?
Jordan, that you ran backwards?
6 Mountains, that you skipped like rams?
And you hills, that you skipped[c] like lambs?
7 Tremble then, 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 flinty rock into flowing springs.
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the Israelis sang this song to the Lord:
“I’ll sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and song,[a]
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God and I’ll praise him,
the God of my father and I’ll exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war,
the Lord is his name!
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea;
his best officers sank in the Reed[b] Sea.
5 The deep covered them,
they went down into the depths like a rock.
6 Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in strength,
your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty
you broke down your enemies.
You sent forth your anger,
it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the breath[c] of your nostrils
the waters were piled up,
the flowing waters stood up like a hill,
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 “The enemy said, ‘I’ll pursue them,[d] I’ll overtake them,[e]
I’ll divide the spoil.
I’ll satisfy my anger[f] on them,
I’ll draw my sword,
and my hand will bring them to ruin.’
10 “You blew with your breath,[g]
and the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty water.
11 “Who is like you among the gods, Lord?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor,[h] and working wonders?
The Song of Miriam
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand and went out with all the women behind her with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them,
“Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted!
The horse and its rider
he has thrown into the sea.”
How to Treat Weak Believers
14 Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. 2 One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak[a] person eats only[b] vegetables. 3 The person who eats any kind of food[c] must not ridicule the person who does not eat them,[d] and the person who does not eat certain foods[e] must not criticize the person who eats them,[f] for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to criticize someone else’s servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord[g] makes him stand.
5 One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind: 6 The one who observes a special day,[h] observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason the Messiah[i] died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God.[j] 11 For it is written,
“As certainly as I live, declares the Lord,[k]
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will praise[l] God.”[m]
12 Consequently, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
The Parable about an Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came up and asked him, “Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? Seven times?”
22 Jesus told him, “I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times![a] 23 “That is why the kingdom from[b] heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he had begun to settle the accounts, a person who owed him 10,000 talents[c] was brought to him. 25 Because he couldn’t pay, his master ordered him, his wife, his children, and everything that he owned to be sold so that payment could be made. 26 Then the servant fell down and bowed low before him, saying, ‘Be patient[d] with me, and I will repay you everything!’ 27 The master of that servant had compassion and released him, canceling his debt.
28 “But when that servant went away, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[e] He grabbed him, seized him by the throat, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29 Then his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you!’ 30 But he refused and had him thrown into prison until he could repay the debt.
31 “When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were very disturbed and went and reported to their master everything that had occurred. 32 Then his master sent for him and told him, ‘You evil servant! I canceled that entire debt for you because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the entire debt. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each one of you unless you forgive your brother from your hearts.”
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