16. B’Shallach

Parasha 16: B’Shallach

Exodus 13:17–17:16 (LEB)

Summary of Travel

¹⁷ And when Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was nearer, because God said, “Lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ So God led the people around by the way of the desert to the _⌊Red Sea_⌋, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ went up in battle array from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the _⌊Israelites_⌋ solemnly swear an oath, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you will take up my bones from here with you.” ²⁰ And they set out from Succoth, and they encamped at Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹ And Yahweh was going before them by day in a column of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a column of fire to give light to them to go by day and night. ²² The column of cloud by day and the column of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Yahweh Rescues Israel at the Red Sea

14 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋ so that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol _⌊and the sea_⌋; before Baal Zephon, which is opposite it, you will camp by the sea. ³ And Pharaoh will say of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, ‘They are wandering around in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’ ⁴ And I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will chase after them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” And they did so.

⁵ And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and that of his servants toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!” ⁶ And he harnessed his chariot and took with him his people. ⁷ And he took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and officers over all of them. ⁸ And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he chased after the _⌊Israelites_⌋. (Now the _⌊Israelites_⌋ were going out _⌊boldly_⌋.) ⁹ And the Egyptians chased after them, and they overtook them encamped at the sea—all the horses of the chariots of Pharaoh and his charioteers and his army—at Pi-hahiroth before Baal Zephon.

¹⁰ And Pharaoh approached, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ lifted their eyes, and there were the Egyptians traveling after them! And they were very afraid, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ cried out to Yahweh. ¹¹ And they said to Moses, “Because there are no graves in Egypt? Is that why you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this you have done to us by bringing us out from Egypt! ¹² Isn’t this the word we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve Egypt!’ because serving Egypt is better for us than our dying in the desert.” ¹³ And Moses said to the people, “You must not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will accomplish for you today, because the Egyptians whom you see today you will see never again. ¹⁴ Yahweh will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”

¹⁵ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the _⌊Israelites_⌋ so that they set out. ¹⁶ And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it so that the _⌊Israelites_⌋ can go in the middle of the sea on the dry land. ¹⁷ And as for me, look, I am about to harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they come after them, and I will display my glory through Pharaoh and through all of his army, through his chariots and through his charioteers. ¹⁸ And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I display my glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his charioteers.”

¹⁹ And the angel of God who was going before the camp of Israel set out and went behind them. And the column of cloud set out ahead of them, and it stood still behind them, ²⁰ so that it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. And _⌊it was a dark cloud_⌋, but it gave light to the night, so that _⌊neither approached the other_⌋ all night.

²¹ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh moved the sea with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea become dry ground, and the waters were divided. ²² And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ entered the middle of the sea on the dry land. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³ And the Egyptians gave chase and entered after them—all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his charioteers—into the middle of the sea. ²⁴ And during the morning watch, Yahweh looked down to the Egyptian camp from in the column of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. ²⁵ And he removed the wheels of their chariots so that they drove them with difficulty, and the Egyptians said, “We must flee away from Israel because Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt.”

²⁶ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters return over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their charioteers.” ²⁷ And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned _⌊at daybreak_⌋ to its normal level, and the Egyptians were fleeing _⌊because of it_⌋, and Yahweh swept the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. ²⁸ And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers—all the army of Pharaoh coming after them into the sea. Not _⌊even_⌋ one survived among them. ²⁹ But the _⌊Israelites_⌋ walked on the dry land in the middle of the sea. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. ³⁰ And Yahweh saved Israel on that day from the hand of Egypt, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. ³¹ And Israel saw the great hand that Yahweh displayed against Egypt, and the people feared Yahweh, and they believed in Yahweh and in Moses his servant.

Song of Victory at the Sea

15 Then Moses and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ sang this song to Yahweh, _⌊and they said_⌋,

“Let me sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted;

the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.

² Yah is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him—the God of my father—and I will exalt him.

³ Yahweh is a man of war; Yahweh is his name.

⁴ The chariots of Pharaoh and his army he cast into the sea,

and his choice adjutants were sunk in the _⌊Red Sea_⌋.

⁵ The deep waters covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

⁶ Yahweh, your right hand is glorious in power;

Yahweh, your right hand destroyed the enemy.

⁷ And in the greatness of your majesty you overthrew those standing up to you;

you released your fierce anger, and it consumed them like stubble.

⁸ And by the breath of your nostrils waters were piled up;

waves stood like a heap;

deep waters in the middle of the sea congealed.

⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide plunder,

my desire will be full of them, I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’

¹⁰ You blew with your breath; the sea covered them;

they dropped like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹ Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh?

Who is like you—glorious in holiness, awesome in praiseworthy actions, doing wonders?

¹² You stretched out your right hand;

the earth swallowed them.

¹³ In your loyal love you led the people whom you redeemed;

in your strength you guided them to the abode of your holiness.

¹⁴ Peoples heard; they trembled;

anguish seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were horrified; great distress seized the leaders of Moab;

all of the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

¹⁶ Terror and dread fell on them;

at the greatness of your arm they became silent like the stone,

until your people passed by, Yahweh,

until the people whom you bought passed by.

¹⁷ You brought them and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance,

a place you made for yourself to inhabit, Yahweh,

a sanctuary, Lord, that your hands established.

¹⁸ Yahweh will reign as king forever and ever.”

¹⁹ When the horses of Pharaoh came into the sea with his chariots and with his charioteers, Yahweh brought back upon them the waters of the sea, and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ traveled on dry ground through the middle of the sea. ²⁰ And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took her tambourine in her hand, and all of the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. ²¹ And Miriam answered, “Sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted; the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.”

Yahweh Provides Water at Marah

²² And Moses caused Israel to set out from the _⌊Red Sea_⌋, and they went out into the desert of Shur, and they traveled three days in the desert, and they did not find water. ²³ And they came to Marah, and they were not able to drink water from Marah because it was bitter. Therefore _⌊it was named_⌋ Marah. ²⁴ And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵ And he cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There he made a rule and regulation for them, and there he tested them. ²⁶ And he said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God and you do what is right in his eyes and give heed to his commands and you keep all his rules, then I will not bring about on you any of the diseases that I brought about on Egypt, because I am Yahweh your healer.

²⁷ And they came to Elim, and twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees were there, and they encamped there at the water.

Yahweh Provides Food in the Desert

16 And they set out from Elim, and all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim _⌊and Sinai_⌋, in the fifteenth day of the second month of their going out from the land of Egypt. ² And all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. ³ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ said to them, “_⌊If only we had died_⌋ by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread _⌊until we were full_⌋, because you have brought us out to this desert to kill all of this assembly with hunger.” ⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not? ⁵ And then on the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring, and it will be twice over what they will gather every other day.”

⁶ And Moses and Aaron said to all the _⌊Israelites_⌋, “In the evening, you will know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning, you will see the glory of Yahweh, _⌊for he hears_⌋ your grumblings against Yahweh, and what are we that you grumble against us?” ⁸ And Moses said, “When in the evening Yahweh gives you meat to eat and bread in the morning _⌊to fill up on_⌋, _⌊for he hears_⌋ your grumblings that you grumble against him—and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.” ⁹ And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, ‘Come near before Yahweh because he has heard your grumblings.’ ”

¹⁰ And at the moment of Aaron’s speaking to all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋, they turned to the desert, _⌊and just then_⌋ the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “I have heard the grumblings of the _⌊Israelites_⌋. Speak to them, saying, ‘_⌊At twilight_⌋ you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be full with bread, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’ ”

¹³ And so it was, in the evening, the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, a layer of dew was all around the camp. ¹⁴ And the layer of dew came up, _⌊and there_⌋ on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground. ¹⁵ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ saw, and they said _⌊to each other_⌋, “What is this?” because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food. ¹⁶ This is the word that Yahweh commanded, ‘Gather from it, _⌊each according to what he can eat_⌋, an omer per person according to the number of you. You each shall take enough for whoever is in his tent.’ ”

¹⁷ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ did so, and they gathered, some more and some less. ¹⁸ And when they measured with the omer, the one gathering more had no surplus, and the one gathering less had no lack; they gathered _⌊each according to what he could eat_⌋. ¹⁹ And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses. Some people left some of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. ²¹ And they gathered it morning by morning, _⌊each according to what he could eat_⌋, and it melted when the sun was hot.

²² And when it was the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. ²³ And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said. Tomorrow is a rest period, a holy Sabbath for Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Put aside all the surplus for yourselves for safekeeping until the morning.” ²⁴ And they put it aside until the morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not make a stench, and not a maggot was in it. ²⁵ And Moses said, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath for Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶ Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be present on it.”

²⁷ And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find any. ²⁸ And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commands and my laws? ²⁹ See, because Yahweh has given to you the Sabbath, therefore he is giving to you on the sixth day bread for two days. Stay, _⌊each in his location_⌋; let no one go from his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ And the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ And the house of Israel called its name “manna.” And it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like a wafer with honey. ³² And Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded. ‘A full omer of it is for safekeeping for your generations so that they will see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I brought you from the land of Egypt.’ ” ³³ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations.” ³⁴ As Yahweh had commanded Moses, so Aaron left it before the testimony for safekeeping. ³⁵ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ ate the manna forty years, until their coming to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (And an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Water from a Rock

17 And all the community of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ set out from the desert of Sin for their journeys according to the command of Yahweh, and they camped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. ² And the people quarreled with Moses, and they said, “Give us water so that we can drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” ³ And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why _⌊ever_⌋ did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my cattle with thirst?”

⁴ And Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “What will I do with this people? A little longer and they will stone me.” ⁵ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go on before the people and take with you some from the elders of Israel, and the staff with which you struck the Nile take in your hand, and go. ⁶ Look, I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.”

And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the _⌊Israelites_⌋ and because of their testing Yahweh by saying, “Is Yahweh in our midst or not?”

Battle with the Amalekites

⁸ And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek tomorrow. I will be standing on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand.”

¹⁰ And Joshua did as Moses had said to him to fight with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ And when Moses raised his hand, Israel would prevail, but when he rested his hand, Amalek would prevail. ¹² But the hands of Moses were heavy, and they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it; Aaron and Hur supported his hands, _⌊one on each side_⌋, and his hands were steady until _⌊sundown_⌋. ¹³ And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the _⌊edge of the sword_⌋.

¹⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the scroll and _⌊recite it in the hearing of_⌋ Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”

¹⁵ And Moses built an altar, and he called its name Yahweh Is My Banner. ¹⁶ And he said, “Because a hand was against the throne of Yah, a war will be for Yahweh with Amalek from generation to generation.”

PROPHETS

Judges 4:1–24 (LEB)

Deborah and Barak

4 And again the _⌊Israelites_⌋ did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Ehud died. ² So Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, and he was living in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋ cried to Yahweh, as he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the _⌊Israelites_{⌋ ⌊}cruelly_⌋ for twenty years.

⁴ Now at that time Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. ⁵ And she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the _⌊Israelites_⌋ went up to her for judgment. ⁶ She sent and called for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh Naphtali and said to him, “Has not Yahweh the God of Israel commanded you? ‘Go, _⌊march to_⌋ Mount Tabor, and take ten thousand men from the descendants of Naphtali and Zebulun. ⁷ _⌊I will draw out_⌋ Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and troops, to the wadi of Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” ⁸ Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you do not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹ She said, “Surely I will go with you; however, there will be no glory for you in _⌊the path you are taking_⌋, for Yahweh will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” And Deborah stood up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and _⌊they went up behind him_⌋, ten thousand men, and Deborah went up with him.

¹¹ And Heber the Kenite was separated from the other Kenites, that is, from the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses. And _⌊he was encamped_⌋ at Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

¹² When they reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, ¹³ Sisera summoned all his chariots—all nine hundred chariots of iron—and the entire army that was with him from Harosheth Haggoyim to the wadi of Kishon. ¹⁴ And Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! This is the day that Yahweh has given Sisera into your hand. Has Yahweh not gone out before you?” So Barak went out from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵ And Yahweh threw Sisera and all his chariots and army into confusion before _⌊the edge of Barak’s sword_⌋; and Sisera dismounted from his chariot and fled on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak pursued after the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all of Sisera’s army fell to _⌊the edge of the sword_⌋; no one was left.

¹⁷ Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ And Jael came out to meet Sisera, and she said to him, “Turn aside, my lord; turn aside to me and do not be afraid.” So he turned aside into her tent, and she covered him _⌊with a blanket_⌋. ¹⁹ And he said to her, “Please, give me a drink of water, because I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin vessel of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. ²⁰ And he said to her, “Stand at the doorway of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ You must answer, ‘No.’ ” ²¹ But Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, took in her hand a tent peg and a hammer, and she went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; he was fast asleep since he was exhausted, and he died. ²² And behold, Barak was pursuing Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him, and she said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” And he came with her and saw that Sisera was lying dead with the peg in his temple. ²³ On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the _⌊Israelites_⌋. ²⁴ And the hand of the _⌊Israelites_{⌋ ⌊}pressed harder_⌋ and harder on Jabin king of Canaan, until they destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Judges 5:1–31 (LEB)

The Song of Deborah and Barak

5 And Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day:

² “When long hair hangs loosely in Israel,

when the people willingly offer themselves,

bless Yahweh!

³ Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes!

I will sing to Yahweh;

I will sing praise to Yahweh,

the God of Israel.

⁴ Yahweh, when you went down from Seir,

when you marched from the region of Edom,

the earth trembled, the heavens poured down,

the clouds poured down water.

⁵ The mountains trembled before Yahweh,

this Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael, the caravans had ceased,

_⌊the travelers_⌋, _⌊they kept to the byways_⌋.

⁷ The warriors ceased;

they failed to appear in Israel,

until I, Deborah, arose;

I arose as a mother in Israel.

⁸ God chose new leaders,

then war was at the gates;

a small shield or a spear was not seen

among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,

those offering themselves willingly among the people;

bless Yahweh!

¹⁰ The riders of white female donkeys,

those sitting on saddle blankets,

and those going on the way, talk about it!

¹¹ At the sound of those dividing the sheep

among the watering places,

there they will recount the righteous deeds of Yahweh,

the righteous deeds for his warriors in Israel.

Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.

¹² “Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!

Get up, Barak!

Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.

¹³ Then the remnant went down to the nobles;

the people of Yahweh went down for him against the mighty.

¹⁴ From Ephraim is their root into Amalek,

after you, Benjamin, with your family;

from Makir the commanders went down,

and from Zebulun those carrying the scepter

of the military commander.

¹⁵ And the chiefs in Issachar were with Deborah;

and Issachar likewise was with Barak;

into the valley _⌊he was sent to get him from behind_⌋.

Among the clans of Reuben

were great _⌊decisions of the heart_⌋.

¹⁶ Why do you sit among the sheepfolds,

to hear the calling sounds of the herds?

For the clans of Reuben,

there were great searchings of the heart.

¹⁷ Gilead has remained beyond the Jordan.

Why did Dan dwell as a foreigner with ships?

Asher sat at the coast of the waters,

and by his coves he has been settling down.

¹⁸ Zebulun is a people who scorned death,

and Naphtali, on the heights of the field.

¹⁹ “The kings came, they fought;

then the kings of Canaan fought;

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,

they got no plunder in silver.

²⁰ The stars fought from heaven;

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹ The wadi torrent of Kishon swept them away,

the raging wadi torrent,

the wadi torrent of Kishon.

March on, my soul, with strength!

²² “Then the hooves of the horse beat loudly,

because of galloping, galloping of his stallions.

²³ ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of Yahweh;

‘curse bitterly its inhabitants,

because they did not come to the help of Yahweh,

to the help of Yahweh against the mighty.’

²⁴ “Most blessed of women is Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite;

most blessed is she of women among tent dwellers.

²⁵ He asked for water, and she gave milk;

in a drinking bowl for nobles, she brought curds.

²⁶ She reached out her hand to the peg,

and her right hand for the workman’s hammer;

and she struck Sisera, crushed his head,

and she shattered and pierced his temple.

²⁷ Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay.

Between her feet he sank down, he fell;

Where he sank down, there he fell—_⌊dead_⌋.

²⁸ “Through the window she looked down;

the mother of Sisera cried out through the lattice,

‘Why is his chariot delayed in coming?

Why do the hoof beats of his chariot tarry?’

²⁹ The wisest of her ladies answer her;

she also answers the question herself:

³⁰ ‘Are they not finding and dividing the plunder?

_⌊A bedmate or two bedmates for every man_⌋;

colorful garments for Sisera,

plunder of colorful garments,

beautifully finished colorful garments,

on the neck of the plunderer?’

³¹ So may all your enemies perish, O Yahweh,

but those who love him are like the rising sun at its brightest.”

And the land had rest for forty years.

GOSPELS

Matthew 14:22–33 (LEB)

Jesus Walks on the Water

²² And immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent away the crowds. ²³ And after he* sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. So when* evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴ But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, because the wind was against it. ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ But the disciples, when they* saw him walking on the sea, were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Have courage, I am he! Do not be afraid!” ²⁸ And Peter answered him and* said, “Lord, if _⌊it is you_⌋, command me to come to you on the water!” ²⁹ So he said, “Come!” And getting out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he* saw the strong wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ And immediately Jesus extended his hand and* caught him and said to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt?” ³² And when* they got into the boat, the wind abated. ³³ So those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”

Luke 2:22–24 (LEB)

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

²² And when the days of their purification were completed according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him* to the Lord ²³ (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what was stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

John 6:22–35 (LEB)

Discourse About the Bread of Life

²² On the next day, the crowd that was on the other side of the sea saw that other boats were not there (except one), and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had departed alone. ²³ Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after* the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

²⁵ And when they* found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ²⁶ Jesus replied to them and said, “Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were satisfied! ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but the food that remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has set his seal on this one.”

²⁸ So they said to him, “What shall we do that we can accomplish the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in the one whom that one sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign will you perform, so that we can see it* and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

³² Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven! ³³ For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ So they said to him, “Sir, always give us this bread!”

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty again.

John 19:1–37 (LEB)

Pilate Attempts to Release Jesus

19 So then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.* ² And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and placed it* on his head, and put a purple robe on him, ³ and were coming up to him and saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” and were giving him slaps in the face.

⁴ And Pilate came outside again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing him outside to you, so that you will know that I find no basis for an accusation against him.” ⁵ Then Jesus came outside wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and he said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ So when they saw him, the chief priests and the officers shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “You take him and crucify him!* For I do not find a basis for an accusation against him.” ⁷ The Jews replied to him, “We have a law, and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself out to be the Son of God!”

⁸ So when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he entered into the governor’s residence again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not give him an answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “Will you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I have authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus replied to him, “You would not have any authority over me unless it was given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has greater sin.”

¹² From this point on Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar! Everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!” ¹³ So Pilate, when he* heard these words, brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat, in the place called The Stone Pavement (but Gabbatha in Aramaic). ¹⁴ (Now it was the day of preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.) And he said to the Jews, “Behold your king!”

¹⁵ Then those shouted, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests replied, “We do not have a king except Caesar!” ¹⁶ So then he handed him over to them in order that he could be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified

So they took Jesus, ¹⁷ and carrying for himself the cross, he went out to the place called The Place of a Skull (which is called Golgotha in Aramaic), ¹⁸ where they crucified him, and with him two others, _⌊one on each side_⌋, and Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ And Pilate also wrote a notice and placed it* on the cross, and it was written: “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews.” ²⁰ So many of the Jews read this notice, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. And it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The king of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, I am king of the Jews.’ ” ²² Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³ Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his clothing and made four shares—for each soldier a share—and the tunic. (Now the tunic was seamless, woven from the top _⌊in a single piece_⌋.) ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it apart, but cast lots for it, to see whose it will be,” so that the scripture would be fulfilled that says,

“They divided my garments among themselves,

and for my clothing they cast lots.”

Thus the soldiers did these things.

²⁵ Now his mother and the sister of his mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene were standing near the cross of Jesus. ²⁶ So Jesus, seeing his* mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, said to his* mother, “Woman, behold your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

Jesus Dies on the Cross

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that now at last everything was completed, in order that the scripture would be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and* brought it* to his mouth. ³⁰ Then when he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, “It is completed,” and bowing his* head, he gave up his* spirit.

³¹ Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an important day), asked Pilate that their legs could be broken and they could be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³ But when they* came to Jesus, after they saw he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water came out immediately. ³⁵ And the one who has seen it* has testified, and his testimony is true, and that person knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things happened in order that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not a bone of his will be broken.” ³⁷ And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”