Monday 12 July 2021

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt,who didn’t know Joseph.9He said to his people,“Behold, the people of the children of Israel are moreand mightier than we.10Come, let’s deal wisely with them,lest they multiply,and it happen that when any war breaks out,they also join themselves to our enemiesand fight against us,and escape out of the land.”11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens.They built storage cities for Pharaoh:Pithom and Raamses.12But the more they afflicted them,the more they multiplied and the more they spread out.They started to dread the children of Israel.13The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve,14and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick,and in all kinds of service in the field,all their service,in which they ruthlessly made them serve.· · · verses 15–21 are not read22Pharaoh commanded all his people,saying, “You shall cast every sonwho is born into the river,and every daughter you shall save alive.”

1If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,let Israel now say,2if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,when men rose up against us,3then they would have swallowed us up alive,when their wrath was kindled against us,

4then the waters would have overwhelmed us,the stream would have gone over our soul.5Then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.6Blessed be the Lord,who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.

7Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare.The snare is broken, and we have escaped.8Our help is in the Lord’s name,who made heaven and earth.

34“Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth.I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.35For I came to set a man at odds against his father,and a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.36A man’s foes will be those of his own household.37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me.38He who doesn’t take his crossand follow after me isn’t worthy of me.39He who seeks his life will lose it;and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.

40“He who receives you receives me,and he who receives me receives him who sent me.41He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.42Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple,most certainly I tell you,he will in no way lose his reward.”

1When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples,he departed from there to teachand preach in their cities.