Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s Work with Israel
105 O give thanks to the Lord. Call on His name. Make His works known among the people. 2 Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell of all His great works. 3 Honor His holy name. Let the heart of those who look to the Lord be glad. 4 Look for the Lord and His strength. Look for His face all the time. 5 Remember the great and powerful works that He has done. Keep in mind what He has decided and told us, 6 O children of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! 7 He is the Lord our God. What He has decided is in all the earth.
8 He has remembered His agreement forever, the promise He made to last through a thousand families-to-come, 9 the agreement that He made with Abraham, and His promise to Isaac. 10 He gave it to Jacob as a Law, to Israel as an agreement that will last forever. 11 He said, “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your share,” 12 when they were only a few men in number and were strangers in it. 13 They went from nation to nation, from the people under one king to the people under another. 14 He did not allow anyone to hold power over them. And He spoke sharp words to kings because of them. 15 He said, “Do not touch My chosen ones. And do not hurt those who speak for Me.”
16 Then He called for a time of no food on the land. He cut off all their bread. 17 He sent a man, Joseph, before them who was sold as a servant. 18 They hurt his feet with chains. He was put in irons, 19 until what he had said would happen came to pass. The Word of the Lord tested him. 20 The king sent and had him taken out of prison. The ruler of many people set him free. 21 He made him the lord of his house and ruler over all he had. 22 He could punish the rulers as he pleased. And he taught wisdom to the wise. 23 Then Israel also came into Egypt. So Jacob stayed in the land of Ham. 24 And He made the number of His people grow until they were stronger than those who held power over them.
25 He turned their hearts to hate His people and to make plans against His servants. 26 He sent Moses, His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. 27 They did His great works for them to see, powerful works in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darkness and made the land dark. They did not fight against what He told them to do. 29 He changed their water into blood, so their fish died. 30 Their land became covered with frogs, even in the rooms of their kings. 31 He spoke and there came many flies all over their land. 32 He gave them hail instead of rain, and lightning like fire in their land. 33 He destroyed their vines and fig trees and the trees of their country. 34 He spoke and the locusts came. There were too many to number. 35 They ate up all the plants in their country. They ate all the fruit of their land. 36 He killed all the first-born in their land, the first fruits of all their strength.
37 Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold. And there was not one weak person among their families. 38 Egypt was glad when they left. For they had become afraid of Israel. 39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light at night. 40 They asked, and He brought them quails for meat. And He filled them with the bread of heaven. 41 He opened the rock and water flowed out. It flowed in the desert like a river.
42 For He remembered His holy Word with Abraham His servant.
10 But all the people said to throw stones at Joshua and Caleb. Then the shining-greatness of the Lord was seen in the meeting tent by all the people of Israel.
Moses Prays for the People
11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people turn away from Me? How long will they not believe in Me, even after all the great works I have done among them? 12 I will punish them with disease, and will not give them the land. And I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”
13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it. For You brought this people here by Your strength from among them. 14 And they will tell the people who live in this land. They have heard
that You, O Lord, are with these people and that You, O Lord, are seen face to face as Your cloud is over them. You go before them in a cloud during the day, and in fire during the night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, the nations who have heard how great You are will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land He promised to give them. So He has killed them in the desert.’ 17 But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great as You have promised, saying, 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with loving-kindness, forgiving sin and wrong-doing. But He will not let the guilty go without being punished. He brings the sin of fathers down upon the children, even the great-grandchildren.’ 19 I pray that You will forgive the sin of this people by the greatness of Your loving-kindness. Forgive them as You have forgiven them from Egypt until now.”
20 So the Lord said, “I have forgiven them as you asked. 21 But for sure, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the shining-greatness of the Lord. 22 All the men who have seen My greatness and My wonderful works which I did in Egypt and in the desert but have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, for sure, they 23 will not see the land I promised to their fathers. None of those who have turned away from Me will see it. 24 But My servant Caleb has had a different spirit and has followed Me in every way. I will bring him into the land where he went, and his children will take it for themselves.
The Danger of Worshiping False Gods
10 Christian brothers, I want you to know what happened to our early fathers. They all walked from the country of Egypt under the cloud that showed them the way, and they all passed through the waters of the Red Sea. 2 They were all baptized as they followed Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 All of them ate the same holy food. 4 They all drank the same holy drink. They drank from a holy Rock that went along with them. That holy Rock was Christ. 5 Even then most of them did not please God. He destroyed them in the desert.
6 These things show us something. They teach us not to want things that are bad for us like those people did. 7 We must not worship false gods as some of them did. The Holy Writings tell us, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to play.” (A) 8 We must not do sex sins as some of them did. In one day 23,000 died. 9 We must not test the Lord as some of them did. They were destroyed by snakes. 10 We must not complain against God as some of them did. That is why they were destroyed.
11 All these things happened to show us something. They were written to teach us that the end of the world is near. 12 So watch yourself! The person who thinks he can stand against sin had better watch that he does not fall into sin. 13 You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin.
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