0 MIN READ

Exodus 6

God Promises Deliverance
1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
Moses and Aaron Sent to Pharaoh
10 So the LORD said to Moses,
11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
Genealogies of Moses and Aaron
13 But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14 These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.
Moses and Aaron's Story Recounted
26 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.”
27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.
28 On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29 the LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

2 Samuel 20

Sheba's Rebellion
1 Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,

 “We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
every man to his tents, O Israel!”

2 So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.” 7 And there went out after him Joab's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. 9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
Amasa Slain
10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
11 And one of Joab's young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” 12 And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him.
The Rebellion Stopped
13 When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14 And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in.
15 And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. 16 Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” 17 And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” 18 Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?” 20 Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23 Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
24 and Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was also David's priest.

Psalms 89

I Will Sing of His Love Forever
1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

 I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
 with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
 in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

3 You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
 I have sworn to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
 and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
 your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
 Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
 and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O LORD God of hosts,
 who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
 with your faithfulness all around you?
9 You rule the raging of the sea;
 when its waves rise, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
 you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
 the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;
 Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
13 You have a mighty arm;
 strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
 steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
 who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
 and in your righteousness are exalted.
17 For you are the glory of their strength;
 by your favor our horn is exalted.
18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,
 our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
 “I have granted help to one who is mighty;
 I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found David, my servant;
 with my holy oil I have anointed him,
21 so that my hand shall be established with him;
 my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
 the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him
 and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
 and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
 and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
 my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the firstborn,
 the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
 and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29 I will establish his offspring forever
 and his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his children forsake my law
 and do not walk according to my rules,
31 if they violate my statutes
 and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
 and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
 or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my covenant
 or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
 I will not lie to David.
36 His offspring shall endure forever,
 his throne as long as the sun before me.
37 Like the moon it shall be established forever,
 a faithful witness in the skies.”

Selah

38 But now you have cast off and rejected;
 you are full of wrath against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
 you have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
 you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
 he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
42 You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
 you have made all his enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
 and you have not made him stand in battle.
44 You have made his splendor to cease
 and cast his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut short the days of his youth;
 you have covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
 How long will your wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is!
 For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
48 What man can live and never see death?
 Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
 which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
 and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
51 with which your enemies mock, O LORD,
 with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

52 Blessed be the LORD forever!
 → Amen and Amen.

Luke 8

25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
The Demons and the Pigs
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.
27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
The Healing Touch of Jesus
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.
41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.
As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.
43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.”
50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.