Making Bricks Without Straw

¹Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold ta feast to me in the wilderness.’” ²But Pharaoh said, u“Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, vI will not let Israel go.” ³Then they said, “The wGod of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” ⁴But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your xburdens.” ⁵And Pharaoh said, “Behold, ythe people of the land are now many,1 and you make them rest from their burdens!” ⁶The same day Pharaoh commanded the ztaskmasters of the people and their aforemen, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

¹⁰So the btaskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” ¹²So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³The ctaskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” ¹⁴And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's ctaskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”

¹⁵Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” ¹⁷But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” ¹⁹The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” ²⁰They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; ²¹and dthey said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

²²Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? ²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

Women Accompanying Jesus

¹Soon afterward he went on nthrough cities and villages, proclaiming and obringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ²and also psome women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: qMary, called Magdalene, rfrom whom seven demons had gone out, ³and sJoanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them1 out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴tAnd when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ⁵u“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, vit withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷And some fell among wthorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded xa hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, y“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰he said, z“To you it has been given to know athe secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so bthat ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹cNow the parable is this: The seed is dthe word of God. ¹²The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not ebelieve and be saved. ¹³And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it fwith joy. But these have no root; they gbelieve for a while, and in time of testing hfall away. ¹⁴And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but ias they go on their way they are choked by the jcares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and kbear fruit lwith patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

¹⁶mn“No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷oFor nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸pTake care then how you hear, qfor to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

¹⁹rThen his mother and shis brothers2 came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” ²¹But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those twho hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

²²uOne day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of vthe lake.” So they set out, ²³and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on vthe lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. ²⁴And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and wrebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, xand there was a calm. ²⁵He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they ywere afraid, and they zmarveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that ahe commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

²⁶bThen they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,3 which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus4 had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house cbut among the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he dcried out and fell down before him and said dwith a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, eSon of fthe Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” ²⁹For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon ginto the desert.) ³⁰Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, h“Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹And they begged him not to command them to depart into ithe abyss. ³²Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into jthe lake and drowned.

³⁴When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting kat the feet of Jesus, lclothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed5 man had been healed. ³⁷Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes masked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your home, and ndeclare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter

⁴⁰Now when Jesus returned, the crowd owelcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹pAnd there came a man named Jairus, who was qa ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, ⁴²for he had ran only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people spressed around him. ⁴³And there was a woman twho had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her uliving on physicians,6 she could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴She came up behind him and touched vthe fringe of his garment, and wimmediately her discharge of blood ceased. ⁴⁵And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter7 said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” ⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that xpower has gone out from me.” ⁴⁷And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸And he said to her, “Daughter, yyour faith has made you well; ygo in peace.”

⁴⁹While he was still speaking, someone from zthe ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; ado not trouble bthe Teacher any more.” ⁵⁰But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” ⁵¹And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except cPeter and dJohn and James, and the father and mother of the child. ⁵²And all were weeping and emourning for her, but he fsaid, “Do not weep, for gshe is not dead but hsleeping.” ⁵³And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴But itaking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, jarise.” ⁵⁵And kher spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. ⁵⁶And her parents were amazed, but lhe charged them to tell no one what had happened.

Eliphaz Speaks: Job's Wickedness Is Great

¹Then zEliphaz the Temanite answered and said:

²a“Can a man be profitable to God?

Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.

³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,

or is it gain to him if you bmake your ways blameless?

⁴Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you

and centers into judgment with you?

⁵Is not your evil abundant?

There is no end to your iniquities.

⁶For you have dexacted pledges of your brothers for nothing

eand stripped the naked of their clothing.

⁷You have given no water to the weary to drink,

and you have fwithheld bread from the hungry.

⁸gThe man with power possessed the land,

and hthe favored man lived in it.

⁹You have isent widows away empty,

and jthe arms of kthe fatherless were crushed.

¹⁰Therefore lsnares are all around you,

and sudden terror overwhelms you,

¹¹or mdarkness, so that you cannot see,

and a nflood of owater covers you.

¹²“Is not God high in the heavens?

See pthe highest stars, how lofty they are!

¹³But you say, q‘What does God know?

Can he judge through rthe deep darkness?

¹⁴sThick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,

and he walks on the vault of heaven.’

¹⁵Will you keep to the old way

that wicked men have trod?

¹⁶They were snatched away tbefore their time;

their foundation was washed away.1

¹⁷They said to God, u‘Depart from us,’

and v‘What can the Almighty do to us?’2

¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things—

but wthe counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹xThe righteous see it and are glad;

the innocent one ymocks at them,

²⁰saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,

and what they left zthe fire has consumed.’

²¹a“Agree with God, and bbe at peace;

thereby good will come to you.

²²Receive instruction from chis mouth,

and dlay up his words in your heart.

²³If you ereturn to the Almighty you will be fbuilt up;

if you gremove injustice far from your tents,

²⁴if you lay gold in hthe dust,

and gold of iOphir among the stones of the torrent-bed,

²⁵then the Almighty will be your gold

and your precious silver.

²⁶For then you jwill delight yourself in the Almighty

and klift up your face to God.

²⁷You will lmake your prayer to him, and he will hear you,

and you will mpay your vows.

²⁸You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,

and nlight will shine on your ways.

²⁹For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;3

but he saves othe lowly.

³⁰He pdelivers even the one who is not innocent,

who will be delivered through qthe cleanness of your hands.”

Paul Surrenders His Rights

¹jAm I not free? kAm I not an apostle? lHave I not seen Jesus our Lord? mAre not you my workmanship in the Lord? ²If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are nthe seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³This is my defense to those who would examine me. ⁴oDo we not have the right to eat and drink? ⁵pDo we not have the right to take along a believing wife,1 as do the other apostles and qthe brothers of the Lord and rCephas? ⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? ⁷sWho serves as a soldier at his own expense? tWho plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

⁸Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? ⁹For it is written in the Law of Moses, u“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written vfor our sake, because wthe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. ¹¹xIf we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? ¹²If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, ywe have not made use of this right, but we endure anything zrather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that athose who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? ¹⁴In the same way, the Lord commanded that bthose who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

¹⁵But cI have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone ddeprive me of my ground for boasting. ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For enecessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with fa stewardship. ¹⁸What then is my reward? That in my preaching gI may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

¹⁹For hthough I am free from all, iI have made myself a servant to all, that I might jwin more of them. ²⁰kTo the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ²¹To lthose outside the law I became mas one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but nunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. ²²oTo the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. pI have become all things to all people, that qby all means I might save some. ²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, rthat I may share with them in its blessings.

²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives sthe prize? So trun that you may obtain it. ²⁵Every uathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we van imperishable. ²⁶So I do not run aimlessly; I wdo not box as one xbeating the air. ²⁷But I discipline my body and ykeep it under control,2 lest after preaching to others zI myself should be adisqualified.