Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses

To the Chief Musician. A ^[a]Contemplation of the sons of Korah.

Jethro’s Advice^(A)

18 And ^(B)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that ^(C)God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took ^(D)Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, ³ with her ^(E)two sons, of whom the name of one was ^[a]Gershom (for he said, ^(F)“I have been a ^[b]stranger in a foreign land”) ⁴ and the name of the other was ^[c]Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my ^(G)help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); ⁵ and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at ^(H)the mountain of God. ⁶ Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”

⁷ So Moses ^(I)went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and ^(J)kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. ⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had ^(K)delivered them. ⁹ Then Jethro rejoiced for all the ^(L)good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ And Jethro said, ^(M)“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is ^(N)greater than all the gods; ^(O)for in the very thing in which they ^[d]behaved ^(P)proudly, He was above them.” ¹² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, ^[e]took a burnt ^(Q)offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel ^(R)to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Thankfulness and Prayer

^3 (A)I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ always in ^(B)every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, ^5 (C)for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun ^(D)a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; ⁷ just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. ⁸ For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness ^(E)which are by Jesus Christ, ^(F)to the glory and praise of God.

Christ Is Preached

¹² But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become evident ^(G)to the whole ^[a]palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; ¹⁴ and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.