¹Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ” ²And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lᴏʀᴅ, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lᴏʀᴅ, nor will I let Israel go.” ³So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lᴏʀᴅ our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” ⁴Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” ⁵And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!” ⁶So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, ⁷“You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.” ¹⁰And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” ¹²So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. ¹³And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” ¹⁴Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?” ¹⁵Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? ¹⁶There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.” ¹⁷But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lᴏʀᴅ.’ ¹⁸Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.” ¹⁹And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.” ²⁰Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. ²¹And they said to them, “Let the Lᴏʀᴅ look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” ²²So Moses returned to the Lᴏʀᴅ and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

¹Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ²and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. ⁴And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ⁵“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. ⁸But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” ⁹Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” ¹⁰And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. ¹⁶“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” ¹⁹Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” ²¹But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” ²²Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. ²³But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. ²⁴And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” ²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. ³⁰Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. ³¹And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. ³²Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. ³⁴When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. ³⁷Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. ³⁸Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. ⁴⁰So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. ⁴¹And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, ⁴²for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. ⁴³Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. ⁴⁵And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” ⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” ⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” ⁵⁰But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” ⁵¹When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. ⁵²Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” ⁵³And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” ⁵⁵Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

¹Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: ²“Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself? ³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? ⁴“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, And enters into judgment with you? ⁵Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquity without end? ⁶For you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason, And stripped the naked of their clothing. ⁷You have not given the weary water to drink, And you have withheld bread from the hungry. ⁸But the mighty man possessed the land, And the honorable man dwelt in it. ⁹You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed. ¹⁰Therefore snares are all around you, And sudden fear troubles you, ¹¹Or darkness so that you cannot see; And an abundance of water covers you. ¹²“Is not God in the height of heaven? And see the highest stars, how lofty they are! ¹³And you say, ‘What does God know? Can He judge through the deep darkness? ¹⁴Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’ ¹⁵Will you keep to the old way Which wicked men have trod, ¹⁶Who were cut down before their time, Whose foundations were swept away by a flood? ¹⁷They said to God, ‘Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?’ ¹⁸Yet He filled their houses with good things; But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. ¹⁹“The righteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them: ²⁰‘Surely our adversaries are cut down, And the fire consumes their remnant.’ ²¹“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you. ²²Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, And lay up His words in your heart. ²³If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents. ²⁴Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks. ²⁵Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver; ²⁶For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God. ²⁷You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, And you will pay your vows. ²⁸You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. ²⁹When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’ Then He will save the humble person. ³⁰He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”

¹Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ²If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. ³My defense to those who examine me is this: ⁴Do we have no right to eat and drink? ⁵Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? ⁶Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? ⁷Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? ⁸Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹²If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. ¹⁵But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. ¹⁶For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. ¹⁸What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel. ¹⁹For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; ²⁰and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; ²¹to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; ²²to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. ²³Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. ²⁴Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ²⁵And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ²⁶Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.