Exodus 7; Exodus 8; Matthew 15:1-20

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be like a prophet to you.

2 You must say everything I command you to say. Then your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country.

3 "But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn. I will multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt.

4 In spite of that, he will not listen to you. So I will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march.

5 "Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will reach out my powerful hand against Egypt. I will bring the people of Israel out of it."

6 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the LORD had commanded them.

7 Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

8 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron.

9 He said, "Pharaoh will say to you, 'Do a miracle.' When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, 'Take your wooden staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.' It will turn into a snake."

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake.

11 Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and those who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done.

12 Each one threw his staff down. Each staff turned into a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed theirs up.

13 In spite of that, Pharaoh's heart became stubborn. He wouldn't listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is very stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.

15 In the morning Pharaoh will go down to the water. Go and wait on the bank of the Nile River to meet him. Take in your hand the wooden staff that turned into a snake.

16 "Say to Pharaoh, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, "Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me in the desert. But up to now you have not listened."

17 " 'The LORD says, "Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with the staff that is in my hand. The river will turn into blood.

18 The fish in the river will die. The river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water." ' "

19 The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Get your staff. Reach your hand out over the waters of Egypt. The streams, waterways, ponds and all of the lakes will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt. It will even be in the wooden buckets and stone jars.' "

20 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the LORD had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all of the water turned into blood.

21 The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn't drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.

22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. So Pharaoh's heart became stubborn. He wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

23 Even that miracle didn't change Pharaoh's mind. In fact, he turned around and went into his palace.

24 All of the Egyptians dug holes near the Nile River to get drinking water. They couldn't drink water from the river.

25 Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile River.

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. Tell him, 'The LORD says, "Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

2 " ' "If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.

3 The Nile River will be full of frogs. They will come up into your palace. You will have frogs in your bedroom and on your bed. They will be in the homes of your officials and your people. They will be in your ovens and in your bread pans.

4 The frogs will be on you, your people and all of your officials." ' "

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Tell Aaron, 'Reach your hand out. Hold your staff over the streams, waterways and ponds. Make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' "

6 So Aaron reached his hand out over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land.

7 But the magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. They also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I'll let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord."

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, "You can have the honor of setting the time for me to pray. I will pray for you, your officials and your people. I'll pray that the frogs will leave you and your homes. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile River."

10 "Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will happen just as you say. Then you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God.

11 The frogs will leave you and your houses. They will leave your officials and your people. They will remain only in the Nile River."

12 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh. Then Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.

13 And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, courtyards and fields.

14 The Egyptians piled them up. The land smelled very bad because of them.

15 But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were dead, his heart became stubborn. He wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Tell Aaron, 'Reach your wooden staff out. Strike the dust on the ground with it.' Then all over the land of Egypt the dust will turn into gnats."

17 So they did it. Aaron reached out the staff that was in his hand. He struck the dust on the ground with it. The dust all over the land of Egypt turned into gnats. They landed on people and animals alike.

18 The magicians tried to produce gnats by doing their magic tricks. But they couldn't. The gnats stayed on people and animals alike.

19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, "God's powerful finger has done this." But Pharaoh's heart was stubborn. He wouldn't listen, just as the LORD had said.

20 Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, "Get up early in the morning. Talk to Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. Say to him, 'The LORD says, "Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me.

21 If you do not let my people go, I will send large numbers of flies. I will send them on you and your officials. I will send them on your people and into your homes. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies. Even the area where they live will be full of flies.

22 " ' "But on that day I will treat the area of Goshen differently from yours. That is where my people live. There will not be large numbers of flies in Goshen. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.

23 I will treat my people differently from yours. The miraculous sign will take place tomorrow." ' "

24 So the LORD did it. Huge numbers of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace. They came into the homes of his officials. All over Egypt the flies destroyed the land.

25 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, "Go. Offer sacrifices to your God here in the land."

26 But Moses said, "That wouldn't be right. The sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God wouldn't be accepted by the Egyptians because of their beliefs. Suppose we offered sacrifices they couldn't accept. Then they would throw stones at us and try to kill us.

27 We have to take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, exactly as he commands us."

28 Pharaoh said, "I will let you and your people go to offer sacrifices. You can offer them to the LORD your God in the desert. But you must not go very far. And pray for me."

29 Moses replied, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord. Tomorrow the flies will leave you. They will also leave your officials and your people. Just be sure you don't try to trick us again. Let the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord."

30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.

31 And the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh, his officials and his people. Not one fly remained.

32 But Pharaoh's heart became stubborn that time also. He wouldn't let the people go.

1 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked,

2 "Why don't your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don't wash their hands before they eat!"

3 Jesus replied, "And why don't you obey God's command? You would rather follow your own teachings!

4 God said, 'Honor your father and mother.'(Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, 'If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.'(Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9)

5 But you allow people to say to their parents, 'Any help you might have received from us is a gift set apart for God.'

6 So they do not need to honor their parents with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings.

7 "You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said,

8 " 'These people honor me by what they say. But their hearts are far away from me.

9 Their worship doesn't mean anything to me. They teach nothing but human rules.' " (Isaiah 29:13)

10 Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, "Listen and understand.

11 What goes into your mouth does not make you 'unclean.' It's what comes out of your mouth that makes you 'unclean.' "

12 Then the disciples came to him. They asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were angry when they heard this?"

13 Jesus replied, "There are plants that my Father in heaven has not planted. They will be pulled up by the roots.

14 Leave them. The Pharisees are blind guides. If a blind person leads another who is blind, both of them will fall into a pit."

15 Peter said, "Explain this to us."

16 "Don't you understand yet?" Jesus asked them.

17 "Don't you see? Everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.

18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. Those are the things that make you 'unclean.'

19 Evil thoughts come out of the heart. So do murder, adultery, and other sexual sins. And so do stealing, false witness, and telling lies about others.

20 Those are the things that make you 'unclean.' But eating without washing your hands does not make you 'unclean.' "