Daily Text and Bible Reading: Sunday, January 19 [Press play below]

5.1 Afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says, ‘Send my people away so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’”
5.2 But Pharaoh said: “Who is Jehovah, that I should obey his voice to send Israel away? I do not know Jehovah at all, and what is more, I will not send Israel away.”
5.3 But they said: “The God of the Hebrews has communicated with us. Please, we want to make a three-day journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to Jehovah our God; otherwise, he will strike us with disease or with the sword.”
5.4 The king of Egypt replied to them: “Why is it, Moses and Aaron, that you are taking the people away from their work? Return to your labor!”
5.5 And Pharaoh continued: “Look at how many people of the land there are, and you would have them rest from their labor.”
5.6 That same day, Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters and their foremen:
5.7 “You must no longer give straw to the people to make bricks. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
5.8 But you must still impose on them the same quota of bricks as they made in the past. Do not reduce it for them, for they are relaxing. That is why they are crying out, ‘We want to go, we want to sacrifice to our God!’
5.9 Make them work harder, and keep them busy so that they will not pay attention to lies.”
5.10 So the taskmasters and their foremen went out and said to the people: “Here is what Pharaoh has said, ‘I am giving you no more straw.
5.11 Go and get your own straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’”
5.12 Then the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
5.13 And the taskmasters kept urging them: “You must each finish your work every day, just as when straw was provided.”
5.14 Also the foremen of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had appointed over them, were beaten. They asked them: “Why did you not reach the quota of bricks that you used to make? It happened both yesterday and today.”
5.15 So the foremen of the Israelites went in and complained to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
5.16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are beaten, but your own people are at fault.”
5.17 But he said: “You are relaxing, you are relaxing! That is why you are saying, ‘We want to go, we want to sacrifice to Jehovah.’
5.18 So now go, get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce your quota of bricks.”
5.19 Then the foremen of the Israelites saw that they were in serious trouble because of the order: “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks at all.”
5.20 After that they met up with Moses and Aaron, who were standing there to meet them as they came out from Pharaoh.
5.21 At once they said to them: “May Jehovah look upon you and judge, since you have made Pharaoh and his servants despise us and you have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
5.22 Then Moses turned to Jehovah and said: “Jehovah, why have you afflicted this people? Why have you sent me?
5.23 From the time that I went in before Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has dealt worse with this people, and you have certainly not rescued your people.”
6.1 So Jehovah said to Moses: “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. A mighty hand will force him to send them away, and a mighty hand will force him to drive them out of his land.”
6.2 Then God said to Moses: “I am Jehovah.
6.3 And I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but with regard to my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them.
6.4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as foreigners.
6.5 Now I myself have heard the groaning of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I remember my covenant.
6.6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am Jehovah, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and rescue you from their slavery, and I will reclaim you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
6.7 And I will take you in as my people, and I will be your God, and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah your God who is bringing you out from under the burdens of Egypt.
6.8 And I will bring you into the land that I swore with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as something to possess. I am Jehovah.’”
6.9 Moses later gave this message to the Israelites, but they did not listen to Moses because of their discouragement and because of the harsh slavery.
6.10 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying:
6.11 “Go in and tell Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, that he should send the Israelites away out of his land.”
6.12 However, Moses replied to Jehovah: “Look! The Israelites have not listened to me; how will Pharaoh ever listen to me, as I speak with difficulty?”
6.13 But Jehovah again told Moses and Aaron what commands to give to the Israelites and to Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, in order to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
6.14 These are the heads of the house of their fathers: The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.
6.15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.
6.16 These are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their family descents: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.
6.17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
6.18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.
6.19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the families of the Levites, according to their family descents.
6.20 Now Amram took Jochebed, his father’s sister, as his wife. She bore him Aaron and Moses. The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.
6.21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
6.22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
6.23 Now Aaron took Elisheba, Amminadab’s daughter, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife. She bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
6.24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the families of the Korahites.
6.25 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife. She bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the paternal houses of the Levites, according to their families.
6.26 This is the Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said: “Bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt, company by company.”
6.27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was this Moses and Aaron.
6.28 On that day when Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
6.29 Jehovah told Moses: “I am Jehovah. Speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I am speaking to you.”
6.30 Then Moses said before Jehovah: “Look! I speak with difficulty, so how will Pharaoh ever listen to me?”
7.1 Jehovah then said to Moses: “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your own brother will become your prophet.
7.2 You are to repeat everything that I will command you, and Aaron your brother will speak to Pharaoh, and he will send the Israelites away from his land.
7.3 As for me, I will allow Pharaoh’s heart to become obstinate, and I will multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt.
7.4 But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring my multitudes, my people, the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt with great judgments.
7.5 And the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.”
7.6 Moses and Aaron did what Jehovah had commanded them; they did just so.
7.7 Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
7.8 Jehovah now said to Moses and Aaron:
7.9 “If Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod and throw it down before Pharaoh.’ It will become a big snake.”
7.10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and did exactly as Jehovah had commanded. Aaron threw his rod down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a big snake.
7.11 However, Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and the magic-practicing priests of Egypt also did the same thing with their magic.
7.12 Each one threw down his rod, and they became big snakes; but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
7.13 Still, Pharaoh’s heart became obstinate, and he did not listen to them, just as Jehovah had said.
7.14 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is unresponsive. He has refused to send the people away.
7.15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Look! He is going out to the water! And you should station yourself to meet him by the edge of the Nile River; and take with you in your hand the rod that turned into a serpent.
7.16 And you must say to him, ‘Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, and he says: “Send my people away so that they may serve me in the wilderness,” but you have not obeyed until now.
7.17 This is what Jehovah says: “By this you will know that I am Jehovah. Here I am striking the water that is in the Nile River with the rod that is in my hand, and it will turn into blood.
7.18 And the fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will find it impossible to drink water from the Nile.”’”
7.19 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over its rivers, over its canals, over its marshes, and over all its reservoirs, that they may become blood.’ There will be blood in all the land of Egypt, even in the wooden and stone containers.”
7.20 Immediately Moses and Aaron did just as Jehovah had commanded. He lifted up the rod and struck the water that was in the Nile River before the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water that was in the river was turned into blood.
7.21 And the fish that were in the river died, and the river began to stink, and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the Nile, and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
7.22 Nevertheless, the magic-practicing priests of Egypt did the same thing with their secret arts, so that Pharaoh’s heart continued to be obstinate, and he did not listen to them, just as Jehovah had said.
7.23 Then Pharaoh returned to his house, and he did not take this to heart either.
7.24 So all the Egyptians were digging all around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink any water of the Nile.
7.25 And seven full days passed after Jehovah struck the Nile.