Exodus 34

NEW STONE TABLETS
The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2 Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before me on the mountaintop. 3 No one may go up with you; in fact, no one should be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”

4 Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him.

5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, “the Lord.” 6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:

The Lord ​— ​the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

8 Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped. 9 Then he said, “My Lord, if I have indeed found favor with you, my Lord, please go with us (even though this is a stiff-necked people), forgive our iniquity and our sin, and accept us as your own possession.”

COVENANT OBLIGATIONS
10 And the Lord responded, “Look, I am making a covenant. In the presence of all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in the whole earth or in any nation. All the people you live among will see the Lord’s work, for what I am doing with you is awe-inspiring. 11 Observe what I command you today. I am going to drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hethites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land that you are going to enter; otherwise, they will become a snare among you. 13 Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles. 14 Because the Lord is jealous for his reputation, you are never to bow down to another god. He is a jealous God.

15 “Do not make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land, or else when they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 Then you will take some of their daughters as brides for your sons. Their daughters will prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.

17 “Do not make cast images of gods for yourselves.

18 “Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. You are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, as I commanded you, for you came out of Egypt in the month of Abib.

19 “The firstborn male from every womb belongs to me, including all your male livestock, the firstborn of cattle or sheep. 20 You may redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a sheep, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

21 “You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day; you must even rest during plowing and harvesting times.

22 “Observe the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the agricultural year. 23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory. No one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not present the blood for my sacrifice with anything leavened. The sacrifice of the Passover Festival must not remain until morning.

26 “Bring the best firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 The Lord also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for I have made a covenant with you and with Israel based on these words.”

28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat food or drink water. He wrote the Ten Commandments, the words of the covenant, on the tablets.

MOSES’S RADIANT FACE
29 As Moses descended from Mount Sinai ​— ​with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain ​— ​he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 and the Israelites would see that Moses’s face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.

John 13

JESUS WASHES HIS DISCIPLES’ FEET
Before the Passover Festival, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

2 Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God. 4 So he got up from supper, laid aside his outer clothing, took a towel, and tied it around himself. 5 Next, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel tied around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet? ”

7 Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t realize now, but afterward you will understand.”

8 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter said.

Jesus replied,“If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”

10 “One who has bathed,” Jesus told him,“doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean. You are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For he knew who would betray him. This is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

THE MEANING OF FOOT WASHING
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them,“Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord ​— ​and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.

16 “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

18 “I’m not speaking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: The one who eats my bread has raised his heel against me. 19 I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am he. 20 Truly I tell you, whoever receives anyone I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives him who sent me.”

JUDAS’S BETRAYAL PREDICTED
21 When Jesus had said this, he was troubled in his spirit and testified, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”

22 The disciples started looking at one another ​— ​uncertain which one he was speaking about. 23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to find out who it was he was talking about. 25 So he leaned back against Jesus and asked him, “Lord, who is it? ”

26 Jesus replied, “He’s the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it.” When he had dipped the bread, he gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son. 27 After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Jesus told him,“What you’re doing, do quickly.”

28 None of those reclining at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Since Judas kept the money-bag, some thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 After receiving the piece of bread, he immediately left. And it was night.

THE NEW COMMAND
31 When he had left, Jesus said,“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so now I tell you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’

34 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

PETER’S DENIALS PREDICTED
36 “Lord,” Simon Peter said to him, “where are you going? ”

Jesus answered,“Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.”

37 “Lord,” Peter asked, “why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38 Jesus replied, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I tell you, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.

Proverbs 10

A COLLECTION OF SOLOMON’S PROVERBS
Solomon’s proverbs:

A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son, heartache to his mother.
2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone,
but righteousness rescues from death.
3 The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry,
but he denies the wicked what they crave.
4 Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.
5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8 A wise heart accepts commands,
but foolish lips will be destroyed.
9 The one who lives with integrity lives securely,
but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.
10 A sly wink of the eye causes grief,
and foolish lips will be destroyed.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense.
14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction.
15 The wealth of the rich is his fortified city;
the poverty of the poor is their destruction.
16 The reward of the righteous is life;
the wages of the wicked is punishment.
17 The one who follows instruction is on the path to life,
but the one who rejects correction goes astray.
18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are many words, sin is unavoidable,
but the one who controls his lips is prudent.
20 The tongue of the righteous is pure silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little value.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The Lord’s blessing enriches,
and he adds no painful effort to it.
23 As shameful conduct is pleasure for a fool,
so wisdom is for a person of understanding.
24 What the wicked dreads will come to him,
but what the righteous desire will be given to them.
25 When the whirlwind passes,
the wicked are no more,
but the righteous are secure forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The hope of the righteous is joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable,
but destruction awaits evildoers.
30 The righteous will never be shaken,
but the wicked will not remain on the earth.
31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate,
but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.

Ephesians 3

PAUL’S MINISTRY TO THE GENTILES
For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles ​— ​
2 assuming you have heard about, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you? 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

8 This grace was given to me ​— ​the least of all the saints ​— ​to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13 So, then, I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.

PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL POWER
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us ​— ​21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

— Exodus 34, John 13, Proverbs 10, Ephesians 3 (CSB)