Exodus 1

• 1. These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
• 2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
• 3. Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
• 4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
• 5. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
• 6. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
• 7. but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
• 8. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
• 9. "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.
• 10. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."
• 11. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
• 12. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
• 13. and worked them ruthlessly.
• 14. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.
• 15. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
• 16. "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."
• 17. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
• 18. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"
• 19. The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."
• 20. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
• 21. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
• 22. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

Luke 6

• 1. One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.
• 2. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
• 3. Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
• 4. He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
• 5. Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
• 6. On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
• 7. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
• 8. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.
• 9. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
• 10. He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
• 11. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
• 12. One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
• 13. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
• 14. Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
• 15. Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
• 16. Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
• 17. He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon,
• 18. who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits were cured,
• 19. and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.
• 20. Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
• 21. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
• 22. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
• 23. "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
• 24. "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
• 25. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
• 26. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.
• 27. "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
• 28. bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
• 29. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
• 30. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
• 31. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
• 32. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them.
• 33. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that.
• 34. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.
• 35. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
• 36. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
• 37. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• 38. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
• 39. He also told them this parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
• 40. A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
• 41. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
• 42. How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
• 43. "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
• 44. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
• 45. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
• 46. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
• 47. I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
• 48. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
• 49. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Job 19

• 1. Then Job replied:
• 2. "How long will you torment me and crush me with words?
• 3. Ten times now you have reproached me; shamelessly you attack me.
• 4. If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone.
• 5. If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me,
• 6. then know that God has wronged me and drawn his net around me.
• 7. "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
• 8. He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.
• 9. He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.
• 10. He tears me down on every side till I am gone; he uproots my hope like a tree.
• 11. His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies.
• 12. His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
• 13. "He has alienated my brothers from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
• 14. My kinsmen have gone away; my friends have forgotten me.
• 15. My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger; they look upon me as an alien.
• 16. I summon my servant, but he does not answer, though I beg him with my own mouth.
• 17. My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own brothers.
• 18. Even the little boys scorn me; when I appear, they ridicule me.
• 19. All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.
• 20. I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.
• 21. "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.
• 22. Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?
• 23. "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,
• 24. that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever!
• 25. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
• 26. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
• 27. I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
• 28. "If you say, 'How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him, '
• 29. you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment. "

New International Version

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