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Exodus 13

Consecration of Firstborn.

1The LORD spoke to Moses and said:

2Consecrate to me every firstborn; whatever opens the womb among the Israelites,^a whether of human being or beast, belongs to me.

3^b Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. For it was with a strong hand that the LORD brought you out from there. Nothing made with leaven may be eaten.

4This day on which you are going out is in the month of Abib.^*

5Therefore, when the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perrizites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you will perform the following service^* in this month.

6For seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and the seventh day will also be a festival to the LORD.

7Unleavened bread may be eaten during the seven days, but nothing leavened and no leaven may be found in your possession in all your territory.

8And on that day you will explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

9It will be like a sign^* on your hand and a reminder on your forehead,^c so that the teaching of the LORD will be on your lips: with a strong hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.

10You will keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11“When the LORD, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, just as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you,

12^d you will dedicate to the LORD every newborn that opens the womb; and every firstborn male of your animals will belong to the LORD.

13Every firstborn of a donkey you will ransom with a sheep. If you do not ransom it, you will break its neck. Every human firstborn of your sons you must ransom.

14And when your son asks you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you will tell him, ‘With a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery.

15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human being and beast alike. That is why I sacrifice to the LORD every male that opens the womb, and why I ransom every firstborn of my sons.’

16It will be like a sign on your hand and a band on your forehead that with a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”^e

IV. THE DELIVERANCE OF THE ISRAELITES FROM PHARAOH AND VICTORY AT THE SEA

Toward the Red Sea.

17Now, when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the Philistines’ land,^* though this was the nearest; for God said: If the people see that they have to fight, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.

18Instead, God rerouted them toward the Red Sea by way of the wilderness road, and the Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.

19Moses also took Joseph’s bones^f with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites take a solemn oath, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you must bring my bones up with you from here.”

20Setting out from Succoth, they camped at Etham^g near the edge of the wilderness.

21^h The LORD preceded them, in the daytime by means of a column of cloud to show them the way, and at night by means of a column of fire^* to give them light. Thus they could travel both day and night.

22Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire by night ever left its place in front of the people.

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Exodus 14

Then the LORD spoke to Moses:

2Speak to the Israelites: Let them turn about and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea.^a Camp in front of Baal-zephon,^* just opposite, by the sea.

3Pharaoh will then say, “The Israelites are wandering about aimlessly in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them.”

4I will so harden Pharaoh’s heart that he will pursue them. Thus I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.

This the Israelites did.

5^b When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart about the people. “What in the world have we done!” they said. “We have released Israel from our service!”

6So Pharaoh harnessed his chariots and took his army with him.

7He took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, with officers^* on all of them.

8The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites while they were going out in triumph.

9The Egyptians pursued them—all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, his horsemen,^* and his army—and caught up with them as they lay encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

Crossing the Red Sea.

10Now Pharaoh was near when the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians had set out after them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to the LORD.

11To Moses they said, “Were there no burial places in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?

12Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

13But Moses answered the people, “Do not fear! Stand your ground and see the victory the LORD will win for you today. For these Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.

14The LORD will fight for you; you have only to keep still.”

15Then the LORD said to Moses: Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to set out.

16And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two, that the Israelites may pass through the sea on dry land.

17But I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his horsemen.

18The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.

19The angel of God,^* who had been leading Israel’s army, now moved and went around behind them. And the column of cloud, moving from in front of them, took up its place behind them,

20so that it came between the Egyptian army and that of Israel. And when it became dark, the cloud illumined the night; and so the rival camps did not come any closer together all night long.^*

21^c Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all night long and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split,

22so that the Israelites entered into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water as a wall to their right and to their left.

Rout of the Egyptians.

23The Egyptians followed in pursuit after them—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen—into the midst of the sea.

24But during the watch just before dawn, the LORD looked down from a column of fiery cloud upon the Egyptian army and threw it into a panic;

25and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could drive only with difficulty. With that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, because the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26Then the LORD spoke to Moses: Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their horsemen.

27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal flow. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward it when the LORD cast the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.

28^d As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the horsemen. Of all Pharaoh’s army which had followed the Israelites into the sea, not even one escaped.

29But the Israelites had walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water as a wall to their right and to their left.

30Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day from the power of Egypt. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore

31and saw the great power that the LORD had shown against Egypt, the people feared the LORD. They believed in the LORD^e and in Moses his servant.

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Mark 9 :17-34

The Rich Man.

17ⁱ As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?^* No one is good but God alone.

19You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.’”^j

20He replied and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”

21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

22At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23^* Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”^k

24The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

25It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”

27Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”

28Peter began to say to him, “We have given up everything and followed you.”

29Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel

30who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.

31But many that are first will be last, and [the] last will be first.”^l

The Third Prediction of the Passion.

32^m They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

33“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles

34who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.”

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