Daily Readings for February 4
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Exodus 10

 

1.Yahweh said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in their midst, 2.and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son's son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am Yahweh."

3.Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, "This is what Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. 4.Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, 5.and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won't be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field. 6.Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.'" He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.

7.Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve Yahweh, their God. Don't you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?"

8.Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve Yahweh your God; but who are those who will go?"

9.Moses said, "We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast to Yahweh."

10.He said to them, "Yahweh be with you if I will let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces. 11.Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve Yahweh; for that is what you desire!" They were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

12.Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left." 13.Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14.The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. 15.For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. 16.Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, "I have sinned against Yahweh your God, and against you. 17.Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to Yahweh your God, that he may also take away from me this death."

18.He went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to Yahweh. 19.Yahweh turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea⁶. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt. 20.But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he didn't let the children of Israel go.

21.Yahweh said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt." 22.Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23.They didn't see one another, neither did anyone rise from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

24.Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, "Go, serve Yahweh. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you."

25.Moses said, "You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God. 26.Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve Yahweh our God; and we don't know with what we must serve Yahweh, until we come there."

27.But Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he wouldn't let them go. 28.Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!"

29.Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more."

 

Psalm 64

 

1.Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2.Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil; 3.who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words, 4.to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly. 5.They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, "Who will see them?" 6.They plot injustice, saying, "We have made a perfect plan!" Surely man's mind and heart are cunning. 7.But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow. 8.Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads. 9.All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done. 10.The righteous shall be glad in Yahweh, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!

 

Psalm 65

 

1.Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed. 2.You who hear prayer, to you all men will come. 3.Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions. 4.Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5.By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea; 6.Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength; 7.who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 8.They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning's dawn and the evening with songs of joy. 9.You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it. 10.You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop. 11.You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance. 12.The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness. 13.The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.

 

Romans 15

 

1.Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2.Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up. 3.For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."[65] 4.For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5.Now the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus, 6.that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7.Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you,⁶⁶ to the glory of God. 8.Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9.and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."[67]

10.Again he says, "Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people."[68]

11.Again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him."[69]

12.Again, Isaiah says, "There will be the root of Jesse, he who arises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will hope."[70]

13.Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit. 14.I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers⁷¹, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others. 15.But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God, 16.that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17.I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God. 18.For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19.in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ; 20.yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation. 21.But, as it is written, "They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven't heard will understand."[72]

22.Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you, 23.but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you, 24.whenever I journey to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while. 25.But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints. 26.For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem. 27.Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things. 28.When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain. 29.I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Good News of Christ.

30.Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31.that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints; 32.that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest. 33.Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

 

Romans 16

 

1.I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant⁷³ of the assembly that is at Cenchreae, 2.that you receive her in the Lord, in a way worthy of the saints, and that you assist her in whatever matter she may need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, and of my own self.

3.Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4.who for my life, laid down their own necks; to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the assemblies of the Gentiles. 5.Greet the assembly that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first fruits of Achaia to Christ. 6.Greet Mary, who labored much for us. 7.Greet Andronicus and Junia, my relatives and my fellow prisoners, who are notable among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. 8.Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. 9.Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. 10.Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus. 11.Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet them of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord. 12.Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved, who labored much in the Lord. 13.Greet Rufus, the chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine. 14.Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers⁷⁴ who are with them. 15.Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16.Greet one another with a holy kiss. The assemblies of Christ greet you.

17.Now I beg you, brothers, look out for those who are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and turn away from them. 18.For those who are such don't serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by their smooth and flattering speech, they deceive the hearts of the innocent. 19.For your obedience has become known to all. I rejoice therefore over you. But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil. 20.And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

21.Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my relatives. 22.I, Tertius, who write the letter, greet you in the Lord. 23.Gaius, my host and host of the whole assembly, greets you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, greets you, as does Quartus, the brother. 24.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all! Amen. 25.[75] 26.Not present in this version 27.Not present in this version

 

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