Exodus 5
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh
1 Now after this Moses and Aaron went and spoke to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, so they may hold a feast to Me in the desert.’ ”
2 Then Pharaoh said, “Who is He, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.”†
3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has called us to Him. Let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest at any time death or slaughter happen to us.”
4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people from their work? Get back to your work.”
5 Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, so let us not give them rest from their work.”
6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their clerks, saying,
7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as yesterday and the day before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 Furthermore, you shall lay on them a daily quota of bricks they are to do each day. You shall hold them to it. You shall not reduce it, for they are loafers; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9 Let the labors of these men be oppressive and cause them anxiety; and let them not pay attention to empty words.”
10 So the taskmasters of the people and their clerks went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.
11 Go, get it yourselves wherever you can find it; yet nothing will be reduced from your workload.’ ”
12 The people were then dispersed throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
13 The taskmasters also forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your daily quota of work as when straw was given you.”
14 Also the clerks from the race of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters set over them, were beaten and questioned, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making bricks both yesterday and the day before, and also today?”
15 Then the clerks of Israel’s sons entered and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants?
16 No straw is given your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and indeed, your servants are beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 But he said, “You are loafers! You are loafers! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’
18 Now therefore, go and work; for no straw shall be given you; yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”
19 So the clerks from the children of Israel saw they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
20 Then as they departed from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them.
21 They said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in his hand to kill us.”†
God Promises Israel’s Deliverance
22 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You sent me?†
23 From the time I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has afflicted this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
Psalms 49
1 A psalm for Asaph. †The God of gods, the Lord, spoke, and summoned the earth From the sun’s rising to its very setting.
2 From Zion in beauty’s splendor, God will come openly;
3 He is our God, and He shall not be silent; A fire shall be kindled before Him, And there shall be a mighty storm round about Him.
4 He shall summon heaven above And the earth to judge His people;
5 Gather His holy ones to Him, Who establish His covenant upon sacrifices;
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God is Judge. (Pause)
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak to you, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God.
8 I will not find fault with your sacrifices, Because your whole burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 I will not accept a young bull from your house, Nor he-goats from your flocks.
10 For all the wild animals of the forest are Mine, The cattle and the oxen in the hills.
11 I know all the birds of heaven, And the ripe fruit of the field is with Me.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of praise, And pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call upon Me in the day of affliction, And I will deliver you; and you shall glorify Me. (Pause)
Proverbs of Solomon 10
12 A fountain of life is in the hand of a righteous man, But the mouth of an ungodly man will hide destruction.
13 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all who are not lovers of strife.†
14 He who brings forth wisdom from his lips Beats a heartless man with a rod.
15 The wise will hide perception, But the mouth of a rash man approaches destruction.†
16 The acquisition of riches is a fortified city, But poverty is the destruction of the ungodly.
Mark 4
The Lamp Under a Basket
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?
22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.†
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Scattered Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,†
27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?†
31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;
32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. †
34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
A Storm Obeys Jesus
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”†
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”