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The sons of Jacob who went to Egypt with him, each with his family, were
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Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
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Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
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Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
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The total number of these people directly descended from Jacob was seventy. His son Joseph was already in Egypt.
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In the course of time Joseph, his brothers, and all the rest of that generation died,
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but their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and became so numerous and strong that Egypt was filled with them.
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Then, a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
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He said to his people, "These Israelites are so numerous and strong that they are a threat to us.
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In case of war they might join our enemies in order to fight against us, and might escape from the country. We must find some way to keep them from becoming even more numerous."
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So the Egyptians put slave drivers over them to crush their spirits with hard labor. The Israelites built the cities of Pithom and Rameses to serve as supply centers for the king.
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But the more the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, the more they increased in number and the farther they spread through the land. The Egyptians came to fear the Israelites
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and made their lives miserable by forcing them into cruel slavery. They made them work on their building projects and in their fields, and they had no pity on them.
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Then the king of Egypt spoke to Shiphrah and Puah, the two midwives who helped the Hebrew women.
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"When you help the Hebrew women give birth," he said to them, "kill the baby if it is a boy; but if it is a girl, let it live."
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But the midwives were God-fearing and so did not obey the king; instead, they let the boys live.
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So the king sent for the midwives and asked them, "Why are you doing this? Why are you letting the boys live?"
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They answered, "The Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they give birth easily, and their babies are born before either of us gets there."
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Because the midwives were God-fearing, God was good to them and gave them families of their own. And the Israelites continued to increase and become strong.
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Finally the king issued a command to all his people: "Take every newborn Hebrew boy and throw him into the Nile, but let all the girls live."
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During this time a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman of his own tribe,
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and she bore him a son. When she saw what a fine baby he was, she hid him for three months.
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But when she could not hide him any longer, she took a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar to make it watertight. She put the baby in it and then placed it in the tall grass at the edge of the river.
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The baby's sister stood some distance away to see what would happen to him.
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The king's daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her servants walked along the bank. Suddenly she noticed the basket in the tall grass and sent a slave woman to get it.
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The princess opened it and saw a baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
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Then his sister asked her, "Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"
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"Please do," she answered. So the girl went and brought the baby's own mother.
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The princess told the woman, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So she took the baby and nursed him.
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Later, when the child was old enough, she took him to the king's daughter, who adopted him as her own son. She said to herself, "I pulled him out of the water, and so I name him Moses."
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When Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Hebrews, and he saw how they were forced to do hard labor. He even saw an Egyptian kill a Hebrew, one of Moses' own people.
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Moses looked all around, and when he saw that no one was watching, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
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The next day he went back and saw two Hebrew men fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why are you beating up a fellow Hebrew?"
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The man answered, "Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just as you killed that Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and said to himself, "People have found out what I have done."
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When the king heard about what had happened, he tried to have Moses killed, but Moses fled and went to live in the land of Midian. One day, when Moses was sitting by a well, seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came to draw water and fill the troughs for their father's sheep and goats.
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But some shepherds drove Jethro's daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them.
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When they returned to their father, he asked, "Why have you come back so early today?"
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"An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they answered, "and he even drew water for us and watered our animals."
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"Where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us."
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So Moses decided to live there, and Jethro gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage,
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who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, "I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom."
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Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,
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who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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He saw the slavery of the Israelites and was concerned for them.
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LORD God, my savior, I cry out all day, and at night I come before you.
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Hear my prayer; listen to my cry for help!
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So many troubles have fallen on me that I am close to death.
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I am like all others who are about to die; all my strength is gone.
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I am abandoned among the dead; I am like the slain lying in their graves, those you have forgotten completely, who are beyond your help.
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You have thrown me into the depths of the tomb, into the darkest and deepest pit.
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Your anger lies heavy on me, and I am crushed beneath its waves.
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You have caused my friends to abandon me; you have made me repulsive to them. I am closed in and cannot escape;
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my eyes are weak from suffering. LORD, every day I call to you and lift my hands to you in prayer.
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Do you perform miracles for the dead? Do they rise up and praise you?
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Is your constant love spoken of in the grave or your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
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Are your miracles seen in that place of darkness or your goodness in the land of the forgotten?
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LORD, I call to you for help; every morning I pray to you.
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Why do you reject me, LORD? Why do you turn away from me?
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Ever since I was young, I have suffered and been near death; I am worn out from the burden of your punishments.
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Your furious anger crushes me; your terrible attacks destroy me.
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All day long they surround me like a flood; they close in on me from every side.
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You have made even my closest friends abandon me, and darkness is my only companion.
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Jesus looked around and saw rich people dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury,
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and he also saw a very poor widow dropping in two little copper coins.
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He said, "I tell you that this poor widow put in more than all the others.
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For the others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on."
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Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said,
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"All this you see---the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down."
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"Teacher," they asked, "when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?"
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Jesus said, "Watch out; don't be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time has come!' But don't follow them.
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Don't be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near."
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He went on to say, "Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another.
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There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky.
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Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to be tried in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake.
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This will be your chance to tell the Good News.
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Make up your minds ahead of time not to worry about how you will defend yourselves,
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because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say.
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You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends; and some of you will be put to death.
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Everyone will hate you because of me.
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But not a single hair from your heads will be lost.
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Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.
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"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed.
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Then those who are in Judea must run away to the hills; those who are in the city must leave, and those who are out in the country must not go into the city.
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For those will be 'The Days of Punishment,' to make come true all that the Scriptures say.
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How terrible it will be in those days for women who are pregnant and for mothers with little babies! Terrible distress will come upon this land, and God's punishment will fall on this people.
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Some will be killed by the sword, and others will be taken as prisoners to all countries; and the heathen will trample over Jerusalem until their time is up.
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"There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.
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People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses.
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Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.
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When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near."
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Then Jesus told them this parable: "Think of the fig tree and all the other trees.
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When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near.
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In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come.
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"Remember that all these things will take place before the people now living have all died.
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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
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"Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you
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like a trap. For it will come upon all people everywhere on earth.
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Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through all those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man."
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Jesus spent those days teaching in the Temple, and when evening came, he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
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Early each morning all the people went to the Temple to listen to him.
