Bible in a Year.

On the twenty-ninth day, we see wavering faith and growing opposition. Exodus 4-5 shows God empowering Moses with miraculous signs, his return to Egypt, and the first disastrous confrontation with Pharaoh that increases Israel's oppression. Leviticus 4 teaches about sin offerings, showing how different sins required different sacrifices for atonement. Psalm 46 offers powerful comfort, declaring that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, even when the earth shakes.

Chapter 4

1. Moses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee.

2. Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

3. And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent: so that Moses fled from it.

4. And the Lord said: Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod.

5. That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

6. And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow.

7. And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.

8. If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.

9. But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river shall be turned into blood.

10. Moses said: I beseech thee, Lord. I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before: and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impediment and slowness of tongue.

11. The Lord said to him: Who made man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I?

12. Go therefore and I will be in thy mouth: and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak.

13. But he said: I beseech thee, Lord send whom thou wilt send.

14. The Lord being angry at Moses, said Aaron the Levite is thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee shall be glad at heart.

15. Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth: and I will be in thy mouth, and in his mouth, and will shew you what you must do.

16. He shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to him in those things that pertain to God.

17. And take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.

18. Moses went his way, and returned to Jethro his father in law and said to him: I will go and return to my brethren into Egypt, that I may see if they be yet alive. And Jethro said to him: Go in peace.

19. And the Lord said to Moses, in Madian: Go, and return into Egypt: for they are all dead that sought thy life.

20. Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass: and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.

21. And the Lord said to him as he was returning into Egypt: See that thou do all the wonders before Pharao, which I have put in thy hand: I shall harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

22. And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

23. I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

24. And when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed him.

25. Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the fore skin of her son, and touched his feet and said: A bloody spouse art thou to me.

26. And he let him go after she had said A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.

27. And the Lord said to Aaron: Go into the desert to meet Moses. And he went forth to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs that he had commanded.

29. And they came together, and they assembled all the ancients of the children of Israel.

30. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses: and he wrought the signs before the people,

31. And the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel: and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored.

Chapter 5

1. After these things Moses and Aaron went in, and said to Pharao: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Let my people go that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.

2. But he answered: Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

3. And they said: The God of the Hebrews hath called us, to go three days' journey into the wilderness and to sacrifice to the Lord our God: lest a pestilence or the sword fall upon us.

4. The king of Egypt said to them: Why do you Moses and Aaron draw off the people from their works? Get you gone to your burdens.

5. And Pharao said: The people of the land is numerous: you see that the multitude is increased: how much more if you give them rest from their works?

6. Therefore he commanded the same day the overseers of the works, and the taskmasters of the people, saying:

7. You shall give straw no more to the people to make brick, as before: but let them go and gather straw.

8. And you shall lay upon them the task of bricks, which they did before, neither shall you diminish any thing thereof: for they are idle, and therefore they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our God.

9. Let them be oppressed, with works, and let them fulfill them: that they may not regard lying words.

10. And the overseers of the works and the taskmasters went out and said to the people: Thus saith Pharao, I allow you no straw:

11. Go, and gather it where you can find it: neither shall any thing of your work be diminished.

12. And the people was scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather straw.

13. And the overseers of the works pressed them, saying: Fulfill your work every day as before you were wont to do when straw was given you.

14. And they that were over the works of the children of Israel were scourged by Pharao's taskmasters, saying: Why have you not made up the task of bricks both yesterday and to day as before?

15. And the officers of the children of Israel came, and cried out to Pharao, saying: Why dealest thou so with thy servants?

16. Straw is not given us, and bricks are required of us as before: behold we thy servants are beaten with whips, and thy people is unjustly dealt withal.

17. And he said: You are idle, and therefore you say: Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.

18. Go therefore, and work: straw shall not be given you, and you shall deliver the accustomed number of bricks.

19. And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil case, because it was said to them: There shall not a whit be diminished of the bricks for every day.

20. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood over against them as they came out from Pharao:

21. And they said to them: The Lord see and judge, because you have made our savour to stink before Pharao and his servants, and you have given him a sword to kill us.

22. And Moses returned to the Lord, and said: Lord, why hast thou afflicted this people? wherefore hast thou sent me?

23. For since the time that I went in to Pharao to speak in thy name, he hath afflicted thy people: and thou hast not delivered them.

1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2. Say to the children of Israel: The soul that sinneth through ignorance, and doth any thing concerning any of the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded not to be done:

3. If the priest that is anointed shall sin, making the people to offend, he shall offer to the Lord for his sin a calf without blemish.

4. And he shall bring it to the door of the testimony before the Lord, and shall put his hand upon the head thereof, and shall sacrifice it to the Lord.

5. He shall take also of the blood of the calf, and carry it into the tabernacle of the testimony.

6. And having dipped his finger in the blood, he shall sprinkle with it seven times before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary.

7. And he shall put some of the same blood upon the horns of the altar of the sweet incense most acceptable to the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of the testimony. And he shall pour all the rest of the blood at the foot of the altar of holocaust in the entry of the tabernacle.

8. And he shall take off the fat of the calf for the sin offering, as well that which covereth the entrails, as all the inwards:

9. The two little kidneys, and the caul that is upon them, which is by the hanks, and the fat of the liver with the little kidneys,

10. As it is taken off from the calf of the sacrifice of peace offerings, and he shall burn them upon the altar of holocaust.

11. But the skin and all the flesh with the head and the feet and the bowels and the dung,

12. And the rest of the body he shall carry forth without the camp into a clean place where the ashes are wont to be poured out, and he shall burn them upon a pile of wood, they shall be burnt in the place where the ashes are poured out.

13. And if all the multitude of Israel shall be ignorant, and through ignorance shall do that which is against the commandment of the Lord,

14. And afterwards shall understand their sin, they shall offer for their sin a calf, and shall bring it to the door of the tabernacle.

15. And the ancients of the people shall put their hands upon the head thereof before the Lord. And the calf being immolated in the sight of the Lord,

16. The priest that is anointed shall carry of the blood into the tabernacle of the testimony.

17. And shall dip his finger in it and sprinkle it seven times before the veil.

18. And he shall put of the same blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord, in the tabernacle of the testimony: and the rest of the blood he shall pour at the foot of the altar of holocaust, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.

19. And all the fat thereof he shall take off, and shall burn it upon the altar:

20. Doing so with this calf, as he did also with that before: and the priest praying for them, the Lord will be merciful unto them.

21. But the calf itself he shall carry forth without the camp, and shall burn it as he did the former calf: because it is for the sin of the multitude.

22. If a prince shall sin, and through ignorance do any one of the things that the law of the Lord forbiddeth,

23. And afterwards shall come to know his sin, he shall offer a buck goat without blemish, a sacrifice to the Lord.

24. And he shall put his hand upon the head thereof: and when he hath immolated it in the place where the holocaust is wont to be slain before the Lord, because it is for sin,

25. The priest shall dip his finger in the blood of the victim for sin, touching therewith the horns of the altar of holocaust, and pouring out the rest at the foot thereof.

26. But the fat he shall burn upon it, as is wont to be done with the victims of peace offerings: and the priest shall pray for him, and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

27. And if any one of the people of the land shall sin through ignorance, doing any of those things that by the law of the Lord are forbidden, and offending,

28. And shall come to know his sin, he shall offer a she goat without blemish.

29. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the victim that is for sin, and shall immolate it in the place of the holocaust.

30. And the priest shall take of the blood with his finger, and shall touch the horns of the altar of holocaust, and shall pour out the rest at the foot thereof.

31. But taking off all the fat, as is wont to be taken away of the victims of peace offerings, he shall burn it upon the altar, for a sweet savour to the Lord: and he shall pray for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

32. But if he offer of the flock a victim for his sin, to wit, an ewe without blemish:

33. He shall put his hand upon the head thereof, and shall immolate it in the place where the victims of holocausts are wont to be slain.

34. And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and shall touch the horns of the altar of holocaust, and the rest he shall pour out at the foot thereof.

35. All the fat also he shall take off, as the fat of the ram that is offered for peace offerings is wont to be taken away: and shall burn it upon the altar, for a burnt sacrifice of the Lord: and he shall pray for him and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

1. Unto the end, for the sons of Core, for the hidden.

2. Our God is our refuge and strength: a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly.

3. Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled; and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.

4. Their waters roared and were troubled: the mountains were troubled with his strength.

5. The stream of the river maketh the city of God joyful: the most High hath sanctified his own tabernacle.

6. God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved: God will help it in the morning early.

7. Nations were troubled, and kingdoms were bowed down: he uttered his voice, the earth trembled.

8. The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.

9. Come and behold ye the works of the Lord: what wonders he hath done upon earth,

10. making wars to cease even to the end of the earth. He shall destroy the bow, and break the weapons: and the shield he shall burn in the fire.

11. Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.

12. The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.