Daily Readings for January 31
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Exodus 3

 

1.Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God's mountain, to Horeb. 2.The angel of Yahweh⁴ appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3.Moses said, "I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

4.When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses! Moses!"

He said, "Here I am."

5.He said, "Don't come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground." 6.Moreover he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.

7.Yahweh said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8.I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9.Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10.Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

11.Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

12.He said, "Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

13.Moses said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you;' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"

14.God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You shall tell the children of Israel this: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15.God said moreover to Moses, "You shall tell the children of Israel this, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. 16.Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; 17.and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey."' 18.They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.' 19.I know that the king of Egypt won't give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20.I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst, and after that he will let you go. 21.I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. 22.But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians."

 

Exodus 4

 

1.Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you.'"

2.Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

He said, "A rod."

3.He said, "Throw it on the ground."

He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.

4.Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail."

He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

5."That they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." 6.Yahweh said furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak."

He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

7.He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again."

He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.

8."It will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 9.It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land."

10.Moses said to Yahweh, "O Lord,⁵ I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

11.Yahweh said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn't it I, Yahweh? 12.Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."

13.He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

14.The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15.You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 16.He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God. 17.You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

18.Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive."

Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

19.Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

20.Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God's rod in his hand. 21.Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. 22.You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23.and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

24.It happened on the way at a lodging place, that Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him. 25.Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me."

26.So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.

27.Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."

He went, and met him on God's mountain, and kissed him. 28.Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 29.Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30.Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31.The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

 

Psalm 56

 

1.Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me. 2.My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me. 3.When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. 4.In God, I praise his word. In God, I put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? 5.All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. 6.They conspire and lurk, watching my steps, they are eager to take my life. 7.Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, God. 8.You number my wanderings. You put my tears into your bottle. Aren't they in your book? 9.Then my enemies shall turn back in the day that I call. I know this, that God is for me. 10.In God, I will praise his word. In Yahweh, I will praise his word. 11.I have put my trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? 12.Your vows are on me, God. I will give thank offerings to you. 13.For you have delivered my soul from death, and prevented my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living.

 

Psalm 57

 

1.Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until disaster has passed. 2.I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for me. 3.He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth. 4.My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. 5.Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth!

6.They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into its midst themselves. Selah. 7.My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises. 8.Wake up, my glory! Wake up, psaltery and harp! I will wake up the dawn. 9.I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10.For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, and your truth to the skies. 11.Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.

 

Romans 9

 

1.I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, 2.that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. 3.For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers' sake, my relatives according to the flesh, 4.who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; 5.of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

6.But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. 7.Neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your seed be called."[23] 8.That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as a seed. 9.For this is a word of promise, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."[24] 10.Not only so, but Rebecca also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. 11.For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls,²⁵ 12.it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger."[26] 13.Even as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."[27]

14.What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! 15.For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[28] 16.So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy. 17.For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."[29] 18.So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. 19.You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?" 20.But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"[30] 21.Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor? 22.What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction, 23.and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, 24.us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25.As he says also in Hosea, "I will call them 'my people,' which were not my people; and her 'beloved,' who was not beloved."[31] 26."It will be that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' There they will be called 'children of the living God.'"[32]

27.Isaiah cries concerning Israel, "If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved; 28.for He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth."[33]

29.As Isaiah has said before, "Unless the Lord of Armies³⁴ had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah."[35]

30.What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn't follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith; 31.but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn't arrive at the law of righteousness. 32.Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; 33.even as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed."[36]

 

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