Bible Verses About Select Readings

and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.

Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.

On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.

Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.

As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt.

He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.

When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.

So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.

And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.

He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’

But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?

Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

At this remark, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.

After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:

‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’