Exodus 9

• 1. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
• 2. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,
• 3. the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field-on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.
• 4. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.'"
• 5. The LORD set a time and said, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land."
• 6. And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
• 7. Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
• 8. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh.
• 9. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."
• 10. So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.
• 11. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
• 12. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
• 13. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,
• 14. or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
• 15. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
• 16. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
• 17. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go.
• 18. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.
• 19. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.'"
• 20. Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
• 21. But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.
• 22. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt-on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt."
• 23. When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt;
• 24. hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.
• 25. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields-both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.
• 26. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
• 27. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
• 28. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer."
• 29. Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's.
• 30. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God."
• 31. (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom.
• 32. The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
• 33. Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
• 34. When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.
• 35. So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.

Luke 14

• 1. One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.
• 2. There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.
• 3. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"
• 4. But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
• 5. Then he asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?"
• 6. And they had nothing to say.
• 7. When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
• 8. "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited.
• 9. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
• 10. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.
• 11. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
• 12. Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
• 13. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
• 14. and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
• 15. When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
• 16. Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
• 17. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
• 18. "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
• 19. "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
• 20. "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
• 21. "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
• 22. "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
• 23. "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
• 24. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
• 25. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
• 26. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
• 27. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
• 28. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
• 29. For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
• 30. saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
• 31. "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
• 32. If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
• 33. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
• 34. "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
• 35. It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Job 28

• 1. "There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined.
• 2. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore.
• 3. Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness.
• 4. Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways.
• 5. The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire;
• 6. sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
• 7. No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon's eye has seen it.
• 8. Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there.
• 9. Man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains.
• 10. He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures.
• 11. He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.
• 12. "But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?
• 13. Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living.
• 14. The deep says, 'It is not in me'; the sea says, 'It is not with me.'
• 15. It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver.
• 16. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires.
• 17. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.
• 18. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
• 19. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.
• 20. "Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?
• 21. It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air.
• 22. Destruction and Death say, 'Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.'
• 23. God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells,
• 24. for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
• 25. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters,
• 26. when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm,
• 27. then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it.
• 28. And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord-that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'"

New International Version

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