The Daily Audio Bible
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Moses Helps His People
11 Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people, the Hebrews. He saw that they were forced to work very hard. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses’ own people. 12 Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching. So he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He saw that one man was in the wrong. Moses said to that man, “Why are you hitting one of your own people?”
14 The man answered, “Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses was afraid. He thought, “Now everyone knows what I did.”
15 When the king heard about what Moses had done, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from the king and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down near a well.
Moses in Midian
16 There was a priest in Midian who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to get water for their father’s sheep. They were trying to fill the water troughs for their father’s sheep. 17 But some shepherds came and chased the girls away. Then Moses defended the girls and watered their sheep.
18 Then they went back to their father, Reuel, also called Jethro. He asked them, “Why have you come home early today?”
19 The girls answered, “The shepherds chased us away. But an Egyptian defended us. He got water for us and watered our sheep.”
20 He asked his daughters, “Where is this man? Why did you leave him? Invite him to eat with us.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with Jethro. And he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to be his wife. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom.[a] Moses named him this because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned because they were forced to work very hard. They cried for help. And God heard them. 24 God heard their cries, and he remembered the agreement he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 25 God saw the troubles of the people of Israel, and he was concerned about them.
The Burning Bush
3 One day Moses was taking care of Jethro’s sheep. Jethro was the priest of Midian and also Moses’ father-in-law. Moses led the sheep to the west side of the desert. He came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. 3 So Moses said, “I will go closer to this strange thing. How can a bush continue burning without burning up?”
4 The Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush. So God called to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 Then God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt. And I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain. 8 I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land. I will lead them to a good land with lots of room. This is a land where much food grows. This is the land of these people: the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 I have heard the cries of the people of Israel. I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them. 10 So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!”
11 But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! Why should I be the one to go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 God said, “I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: You will lead the people out of Egypt. Then all of you will worship me on this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God, “When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you.’ What if the people say, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”
14 Then God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[b] When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, ‘I AM sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “This is what you should tell the people: ‘The Lord is the God of your ancestors. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And he sent me to you.’ This will always be my name. That is how people from now on will know me.
16 “Go and gather the elders and tell them this: ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spoke to me. He says: I care about you, and I have seen what has happened to you in Egypt. 17 I have decided that I will take you away from the troubles you are suffering in Egypt. I will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. This land grows much food.’
18 “The elders will listen to you. And then you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt. You will tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, appeared to us. Let us travel three days into the desert. There we must offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’
19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only a great power will force him to let you go. 20 So I will use my great power against Egypt. I will make miracles happen in that land. After I do this, he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptian people to think well of the people of Israel. So when you leave, they will give gifts to your people. 22 Each Hebrew woman will ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for gifts. Ask for silver, gold and clothing. You will put those gifts on your children when you leave Egypt. In this way you will take with you the riches of the Egyptians.”
10 The followers asked Jesus, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first, before the Christ comes?”
11 Jesus answered, “They are right to say that Elijah is coming. And it is true that Elijah will make everything the way it should be. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come. People did not know who he was. They did to him everything they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man. Those same people will make the Son of Man suffer.” 13 Then the followers understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy
14 Jesus and his followers went back to the crowd. A man came to Jesus and bowed before him. 15 The man said, “Lord, please help my son. He has epilepsy[a] and is suffering very much. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him.”
17 Jesus answered, “You people have no faith. Your lives are all wrong. How long must I stay with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here.” 18 Jesus gave a strong command to the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed.
19 The followers came to Jesus when he was alone. They said, “Why couldn’t we force the demon out?”
20 Jesus answered, “You were not able to drive out the demon because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth. If your faith is as big as a mustard seed,[b] you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And the mountain will move. All things will be possible for you. 21 [That kind of spirit comes out only if you use prayer and give up eating.]”[c]
Jesus Talks About His Death
22 Later, the followers met together in Galilee. Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man will be given into the control of some men. 23 They will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised from death.” And the followers were filled with sadness.
Jesus Talks About Paying Taxes
24 Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. There some men came to Peter. They were the men who collected the Temple tax. They asked, “Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?”
25 Peter answered, “Yes, Jesus pays the tax.”
Peter went into the house where Jesus was. Before Peter could speak, Jesus said to him, “The kings on the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who are the people who pay the taxes? Are they the king’s children? Or do others pay the taxes? What do you think?”
26 Peter answered, “Other people pay the taxes.”
Jesus said to Peter, “Then the children of the king don’t have to pay taxes. 27 But we don’t want to make these tax collectors angry. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth. Inside its mouth you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors. That will pay the tax for you and me.”
The Prayer of a Suffering Man
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of Dawn.” A song of David.
22 My God, my God, why have you left me alone?
You are too far away to save me.
You are too far away to hear my moans.
2 My God, I call to you during the day.
But you do not answer.
And I call at night.
I am not silent.
3 You sit as the Holy One.
The praises of Israel are your throne.
4 Our ancestors trusted you.
They trusted you, and you saved them.
5 They called to you for help.
And they were rescued.
They trusted you.
And they were not disappointed.
6 But I am like a worm instead of a man.
Men make fun of me.
They look down on me.
7 Everyone who looks at me laughs.
They stick out their tongues.
They shake their heads.
8 They say, “Turn to the Lord for help.
Maybe he will save you.
If he likes you,
maybe he will rescue you.”
9 You had my mother give birth to me.
You made me trust you
while I was just a baby.
10 I have leaned on you since the day I was born.
You have been my God since my mother gave birth to me.
11 So don’t be far away from me.
Now trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.
12 Men have surrounded me like angry bulls.
The strong bulls of Bashan are on every side.
13 Like hungry, roaring lions
they open their jaws at me.
14 My strength is gone
like water poured out onto the ground.
All my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax.
It has melted inside me.
15 My strength has dried up like a piece of a broken pot.
My tongue sticks to the top of my mouth.
You laid me in the dust of death.
16 Evil men have surrounded me.
Like dogs they have trapped me.
They have bitten my arms and legs.
17 I can count all my bones.
People look and stare at me.
18 They divided my clothes among them,
and they threw lots for my clothing.
7 Now, my sons, listen to me.
Don’t ignore what I say.
8 Stay away from such a woman.
Don’t even go near the door of her house.
9 If you do, you will give your riches to others.
And the best years of your life will be given to someone who is cruel.
10 Strangers will enjoy your wealth.
And what you worked so hard for will go to someone else.
11 You will groan at the end of your life.
Then your health will be gone.
12 Then you will say, “I hated self-control!
I would not listen when I was corrected!
13 I would not listen to my teachers.
I paid no attention to what they taught me.
14 I have come very close to being completely ruined
in front of a whole group of people.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.