11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

13 The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”

14 But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.

18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

19“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20“So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”

21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.

24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God saw the Israelites and took notice.

1 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. 3So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings. 8I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey— the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to 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. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15 God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, 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 how I am to be remembered in every generation.

16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites— a land flowing with milk and honey.’

18 The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.

21 And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed. 22Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

10 The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. 12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”

13 Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. 15“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” 18Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

19 Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20 “Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

22 When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men. 23They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.

24 After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”

25“Yes,” he answered.

When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”

26“From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”