Daily Lectionary

Exodus 10:21-11:10

²¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”
²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.
²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.
²⁴ Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”
²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
²⁶ Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”
²⁷ But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”
²⁹ Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”
¹ The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.
² Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.”
³ And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
⁴ So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,
⁵ and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
⁶ There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.
⁷ But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.
⁹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. (ESV)

Hebrews 4:1-16

¹ Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
² For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
³ For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, “As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’” although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
⁴ For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”
⁵ And again in this passage he said, “They shall not enter my rest.”
⁶ Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
⁷ again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.
⁹ So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
¹⁰ for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
¹¹ Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (ESV)