NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 104
J A N U A R Y
2 7
order to the Egyptian slave drivers and
the Israelite foremen: 7“Do not supply
any more straw for making bricks.
Make the people get it themselves! 8But
still require them to make the same
number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy. That’s
why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and
offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9Load them
down with more work. Make them
sweat! That will teach them to listen to
lies!”
10So the slave drivers and foremen
went out and told the people: “This is
what Pharaoh says: I will not provide
any more straw for you. 11Go and get it
yourselves. Find it wherever you can.
But you must produce just as many
bricks as before!” 12 So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt in
search of stubble to use as straw.
13Meanwhile, the Egyptian slave drivers continued to push hard. “Meet your
daily quota of bricks, just as you did
when we provided you with straw!” they
demanded. 14Then they whipped the Israelite foremen they had put in charge
of the work crews. “Why haven’t you
met your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded.
15 So the Israelite foremen went to
Pharaoh and pleaded with him. “Please
don’t treat your servants like this,” they
begged. 16“We are given no straw, but the
slave drivers still demand, ‘Make bricks!’
We are being beaten, but it isn’t our fault!
Your own people are to blame!”
17 But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just
lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let
us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.’
18Now get back to work! No straw will be
given to you, but you must still produce
the full quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite foremen could see
that they were in serious trouble when
they were told, “You must not reduce
the number of bricks you make each
day.” 20As they left Pharaoh’s court, they
confronted Moses and Aaron, who were
waiting outside for them. 21The foremen said to them, “May the Lord judge
and punish you for making us stink be-
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fore Pharaoh and his officials. You have
put a sword into their hands, an excuse
to kill us!”
4:6 Or with leprosy. The Hebrew word used here can
describe various skin diseases. 4:25 The Hebrew word
for “feet” may refer here to the male sex organ.
MATTHEW 18:1-20
About that time the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the
Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and
put the child among them. 3 Then he
said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn
from your sins and become like little
children, you will never get into the
Kingdom of Heaven. 4So anyone who
becomes as humble as this little child is
the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5“And anyone who welcomes a little
child like this on my behalf* is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin,
it would be better for you to have a large
millstone tied around your neck and be
drowned in the depths of the sea.
7“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow
awaits the person who does the tempting. 8So if your hand or foot causes you
to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s
better to enter eternal life with only one
hand or one foot than to be thrown into
eternal fire with both of your hands and
feet. 9And if your eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better
to enter eternal life with only one eye
than to have two eyes and be thrown
into the fire of hell.*
10“Beware that you don’t look down
on any of these little ones. For I tell you
that in heaven their angels are always in
the presence of my heavenly Father.*
12“If a man has a hundred sheep and
one of them wanders away, what will he
do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for
the one that is lost? 13And if he finds it,
I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it
more than over the ninety-nine that
didn’t wander away! 14In the same way, it
