Exodus 13
Sanctification of the Firstborn
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,†
2 “Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, the first-begotten, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both man and cattle; it is Mine.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you went out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.
4 On this day you are going out, in the month of new grains.
5 And it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Gergesites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.
7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days, and no leavened bread shall be seen among you; nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your regions.
8 Then you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord my God did for me when I came up from Egypt.’
9 It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial before your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord God brought you out of Egypt.
10 You shall therefore keep this law according to the times of the seasons from year to year.
Tradition of the Firstborn
11 “Then it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to your fathers, and gives it to you,
12 that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every male, everything that opens the womb from the herds or among your cattle; as many as you shall have, you shall sanctify the males to the Lord.
13 But every offspring that opens the womb of a donkey you shall exchange for a sheep; but if you will not exchange it, you shall redeem it; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.
14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
15 Thus it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16 It shall be as a sign on your hand and immoveable before your eyes, for with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire
17 Thus when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”
18 So God led the people around by way of the desert to the Red Sea, and in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up from the land of Egypt.
19 Now Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham by the desert.
21 Moreover, God led them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire.
22 Thus the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before all the people.†
Psalms 54
13 For if an enemy reviled me, I would have endured it; And if one hating me boasted against me, I would have hidden from him.
14 But it was you, a man my equal, My guide and my friend,
15 Who together with me sweetened our meals; In God’s house we walked in unity.
16 Let death come upon them, And let them go down alive into Hades; Because evils are in their dwellings, in the very midst of them.
17 But I cried out to God, And the Lord heard me.
18 Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell; I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.
19 He will redeem my soul in peace from those who draw near to me, For they were with me in abundance.
20 God shall hear, and humble them, He who exists before the ages. (Pause) For there is no change in them, And they have not feared God.
21 He stretched forth His hand in punishment; They defiled His covenant.
22 They were scattered by the wrath of His face, And His heart drew near; His words were softened above oil, And they are arrows.
23 Cast your care upon the Lord, And He shall support you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
24 But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay; Men of blood and deceit Shall not live even half their days. But I will hope in You, O Lord.
Proverbs of Solomon 11
16 A merciful man does good to his soul, But an unmerciful man utterly destroys his body.
17 An ungodly man does unrighteous works, But the seed of the righteous is a reward of truth.†
18 A righteous son is begotten unto life, But the persecution of an ungodly man is unto death.
19 Perverse ways are an abomination to the Lord, But all who are blameless in their ways are acceptable to Him.
20 He who joins hands with the unrighteous will not go unpunished, But he who sows righteousness will receive a faithful reward.
Mark 8
Feeding the Four Thousand
1 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them,†
2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
3 And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.
7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.
8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.
9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away,
10 immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Show Us a Sign
11 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.†
12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”
The Leaven of the Pharisees
13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.
15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”†
16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “ It is because we have no bread.”
17 But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?
18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?
19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”
20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.”
21 So He said to them, “How is it you do not understand?”