One Year Bible.

Water from the Rock

¹Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ²So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”

³But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt — to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

⁴Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”

⁵And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.”

So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

⁸After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. ⁹So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”

¹⁰Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

¹¹As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. ¹²When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

¹³So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”

¹⁵And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. ¹⁶“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

The Visit of Jethro

¹Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

²After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her, ³along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” ⁴The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. ⁶He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and went into the tent. ⁸Then Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had encountered along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.

⁹And Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had rescued from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰Jethro declared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for He did this when they treated Israel with arrogance.”

¹²Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

Jethro Advises Moses

¹³The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. ¹⁴When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?”

¹⁵“Because the people come to me to inquire of God,” Moses replied. ¹⁶“Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me to judge between one man and another, and I make known to them the statutes and laws of God.”

¹⁷But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone.

¹⁹Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him. ²⁰Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do.

²¹Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

²²Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you.

²³If you follow this advice and God so directs you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people can go home in peace.”

²⁴Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²⁶And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.

²⁷Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.

Israel at Mount Sinai

¹In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. ²After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

³Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel: ⁴‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations — for the whole earth is Mine. ⁶And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. ⁸And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.”

So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.

⁹The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.”

And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.

¹⁰Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes ¹¹and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

¹²And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. ¹³No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows — whether man or beast, he must not live.’

Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

¹⁴When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵“Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”

The LORD Visits Sinai

¹⁶On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

¹⁸Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. ¹⁹And as the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.

²⁰The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up, ²¹and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish. ²²Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”

²³But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

²⁴And the LORD replied, “Go down and bring Aaron with you. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against them.”

²⁵So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

BOOK V

Thanksgiving for Deliverance

¹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

His loving devotion endures forever.

²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,

whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy

³and gathered from the lands,

from east and west, from north and south.

⁴Some wandered in desert wastelands,

finding no path to a city in which to dwell.

⁵They were hungry and thirsty;

their soul fainted within them.

⁶Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He delivered them from their distress.

⁷He led them on a straight path

to reach a city where they could live.

⁸Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

⁹For He satisfies the thirsty

and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

prisoners in affliction and chains,

¹¹because they rebelled against the words of God

and despised the counsel of the Most High.

¹²He humbled their hearts with hard labor;

they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

¹³Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

¹⁴He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death

and broke away their chains.

¹⁵Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

¹⁶For He has broken down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

¹⁷Fools, in their rebellious ways,

and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.

¹⁸They loathed all food

and drew near to the gates of death.

¹⁹Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He saved them from their distress.

²⁰He sent forth His word and healed them;

He rescued them from the Pit.

²¹Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

²²Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving

and declare His works with rejoicing.

²³Others went out to sea in ships,

conducting trade on the mighty waters.

²⁴They saw the works of the LORD,

and His wonders in the deep.

²⁵For He spoke and raised a tempest

that lifted the waves of the sea.

²⁶They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths;

their courage melted in their anguish.

²⁷They reeled and staggered like drunkards,

and all their skill was useless.

²⁸Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and He brought them out of their distress.

²⁹He calmed the storm to a whisper,

and the waves of the sea were hushed.

³⁰They rejoiced in the silence,

and He guided them to the harbor they desired.

³¹Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion

and His wonders to the sons of men.

³²Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people

and praise Him in the council of the elders.

³³He turns rivers into deserts,

springs of water into thirsty ground,

³⁴and fruitful land into fields of salt,

because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

³⁵He turns a desert into pools of water

and a dry land into flowing springs.

³⁶He causes the hungry to settle there,

that they may establish a city in which to dwell.

³⁷They sow fields and plant vineyards

that yield a fruitful harvest.

³⁸He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;

He does not let their herds diminish.

³⁹When they are decreased and humbled

by oppression, evil, and sorrow,

⁴⁰He pours out contempt on the nobles

and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

⁴¹But He lifts the needy from affliction

and increases their families like flocks.

⁴²The upright see and rejoice,

and all iniquity shuts its mouth.

⁴³Let him who is wise pay heed to these things

and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.

The Wedding at Cana

¹On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ²and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴“Woman, what is that to you and to Me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

⁵His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

⁶Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

⁸“Now draw some out,” He said, “and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, ⁹and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰and said, “Everyone serves the fine wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk. But you have saved the fine wine until now!”

¹¹Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹²After this, He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

¹³When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. ¹⁵So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”

¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

¹⁸On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”

¹⁹Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.”

²⁰“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”

²¹But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. ²²After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

²³While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name. ²⁴But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. ²⁵He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.