The Daily Audio Bible
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The Eighth Plague—Locusts
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made him and his officials stubborn so that I can do these miraculous signs among them. 2 You will be able to tell your children and grandchildren exactly how I treated the Egyptians and what miraculous signs I did among them. This is how you will all know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of the Hebrews says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself in my presence? Let my people go to worship me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. 5 They will cover the land so that the ground can’t be seen. They will eat everything left by the hail, including every tree still standing in the fields. 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and those of all the Egyptians. Your parents and ancestors never saw anything like this from the time they first came here until now.” Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man hold us in his grip? Let the Israelite men go to worship the Lord their God. When will you realize that Egypt is ruined?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said to them. “But exactly who will be going?”
9 Moses answered, “Everyone! We’ll be taking our young and old, our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds with us. For us it’s a pilgrimage festival in the Lord’s honor.”
10 Pharaoh said to them, “The Lord would have to be with you if I would ever let you take your women and children along. I know you’re up to no good! 11 No! Only the men may go to worship the Lord, since that’s what you’ve been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were thrown out of Pharaoh’s palace.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt to bring locusts. They will invade Egypt and eat up every plant in the land—everything left by the hail.”
13 Moses held his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord made a wind from the east blow over the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 They invaded all of Egypt and landed all over the country in great swarms. Never before had there been so many locusts like this, nor would there ever be that many again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black ⌞with them⌟. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly called for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Please forgive my sin one more time. Pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 Then the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
20 But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, so he did not let the Israelites go.
The Ninth Plague—Darkness
21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky, and a darkness ⌞so thick⌟ that it can be felt will come over Egypt.” 22 Moses lifted his hand toward the sky, and throughout Egypt there was total darkness for three days. 23 People couldn’t see each other, and no one went anywhere for three days. But all the Israelites had light where they were living.
24 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord! Even your women and children may go with you, but your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to take ⌞our animals⌟ for the sacrifices and burnt offerings we have to make to the Lord our God. 26 All our livestock must go with us. Not one animal must be left behind. We’ll have to use some of them for worshiping the Lord our God, and we won’t know what we’ll need until we get there.”
27 But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, so he refused to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Don’t ever let me see your face again. The day I do, you will die.”
29 “You’re right!” Moses answered. “You’ll never see my face again.”
The Tenth Plague—the Death of the Firstborn
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he will let you go. When he does, he will be certain to force all of you out of here. 2 Now announce to the people ⌞of Israel⌟ that each man and woman must ask the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry.”
3 The Lord made the Egyptians kind to the people. And Moses was highly respected by Pharaoh’s officials and all the Egyptians.
4 Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go out among the Egyptians. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who rules the land, to the firstborn children of female slaves who use their handmills, including every firstborn domestic animal. 6 There will be loud crying throughout Egypt, such as there has never been or ever will be again. 7 But where the Israelites are, not even a dog will be startled by any person or animal. This is how you will see that the Lord shows the distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 Then all these officials of yours will come, bow down to me, and say, ‘You and all the people who follow you, get out!’ After that I will leave.” Burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. This is why I will do more amazing things in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron showed Pharaoh all these amazing things. Yet, the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, so he wouldn’t let the Israelites leave his country.
Passover
12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month will be the very first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth ⌞day⌟ of this month each man must take a lamb or a young goat for his family—one animal per household. 4 A household may be too small to eat a whole animal. That household and the one next door can share one animal. Choose your animal based on the number of people and what each person can eat. 5 Your animal must be a one-year-old male that has no defects. You may choose a lamb or a young goat. 6 Take care of it until the fourteenth ⌞day⌟ of this month.
“Then at dusk, all the assembled people from the community of Israel must slaughter their animals. 7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they will eat the animals. 8 The meat must be eaten that same night. It must be roasted over a fire and eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. 9 Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled but roast the whole animal over a fire. 10 Don’t leave any of it until morning. Anything left over in the morning must be burned up. 11 This is how ⌞you should be dressed when⌟ you eat it: with your belt on, your sandals on your feet, and your shepherd’s staff in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry. It is the Lord’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will go throughout Egypt and kill every firstborn male, both human and animal. I will severely punish all the gods of Egypt, ⌞because⌟ I am the Lord. 13 But the blood on your houses will be a sign for your protection. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing will touch or destroy you when I strike Egypt.
A Story about Vineyard Workers
20 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day’s wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. 3 About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. 4 He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So they went.
5 “He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. 6 About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’
7 “ ‘No one has hired us,’ they answered him.
“He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, ‘Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.’
9 “Those who started working about 5 p.m. came, and each received a day’s wages. 10 When those who had been hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them received a day’s wages. 11 Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner. 12 They said, ‘These last workers have worked only one hour. Yet, you’ve treated us all the same, even though we worked hard all day under a blazing sun.’
13 “The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me on a day’s wages? 14 Take your money and go! I want to give this last worker as much as I gave you. 15 Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?’
16 “In this way the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life(A)
17 When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he took the twelve apostles aside and said to them privately, 18 “We’re going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. They will condemn him to death 19 and hand him over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, whip him, and crucify him. But on the third day he will be brought back to life.”
A Mother Makes a Request(B)
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her two sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor.
21 “What do you want?” he asked her.
She said to him, “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”
22 Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink the cup that I’m going to drink?”
“We can,” they told him.
23 Jesus said to them, “You will drink my cup. But I don’t have the authority to grant you a seat at my right or left. My Father has already prepared these positions for certain people.”
24 When the other ten apostles heard about this, they were irritated with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called the apostles and said, “You know that the rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. 26 But that’s not the way it’s going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. 27 Whoever wants to be most important among you will be your slave. 28 It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come so that others could serve him. He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
By David.
25 To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
2 I trust you, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame.
Do not let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who waits for you will ever be put to shame,
but all who are unfaithful will be put to shame.
4 Make your ways known to me, O Lord,
and teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me
because you are God, my savior.
I wait all day long for you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassionate and merciful deeds.
They have existed from eternity.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my rebellious ways.
Remember me, O Lord, in keeping with your mercy and your goodness.
8 The Lord is good and decent.
That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live.
9 He leads humble people to do what is right,
and he teaches them his way.
10 Every path of the Lord is ⌞one of⌟ mercy and truth
for those who cling to his promise [a] and written instructions.
11 For the sake of your name, O Lord,
remove my guilt, because it is great.
12 Who, then, is this person that fears the Lord?
He is the one whom the Lord will teach which path to choose.
13 He will enjoy good things in life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord advises those who fear him.
He reveals to them the intent of his promise.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord.
He removes my feet from traps.
6 Consider the ant, you lazy bum.
Watch its ways, and become wise.
7 Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler,
8 in summertime it stores its food supply.
At harvest time it gathers its food.
9 How long will you lie there, you lazy bum?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 “Just a little sleep,
just a little slumber,
just a little nap.”
11 Then your poverty will come ⌞to you⌟ like a drifter,
and your need will come ⌞to you⌟ like a bandit.
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