A reading from the Book of Exodus. All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of sin by stages according to the commandment of the Lord and camped at Revedim. But there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, give us water to drink and Moses said to them, why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? Why did the people thirst it there for water and the people grumbled against Moses and said, why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? So Moses cried to the Lord, what shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said to Moses, pass on before the people taking with you some of the elders of Israel and taking your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go, behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horib and you shall strike the rock and water shall come out of it and the people drink. And Moses did so and the sight of the elders of Israel and he called the name of the place Massa and Maraba because of the quarreling of the people of Israel because they tested the Lord by saying, is the Lord among us or not? Then Amalek came and fought with Israel that Revedim, so Moses said to Joshua, choose for us men and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek while Moses Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand Israel prevailed and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed, but Moses' hands grew weary so they took a stone and put it under him and sat on it while Aaron and her held up his hands one on one side and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun and Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, write this as a memorial and a book and recite it in the years of Joshua that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, the Lord is my banner, saying, a hand upon the throne of the Lord. The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father and law heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses' father and law had taken Zippura. Moses' wife after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershaw, for he said, I have been a solejourner in a foreign land, in the name of the other, Eliezer, for he said, the God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. Jethro, Moses' father and law came with his sons and his wife to Moses and the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God and when he sent word to Moses. I, your father and law, Jethro, I am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her. Moses went out to meet his father and law and bowed down and kissed him and they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. Then Moses told his father and law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way and how the Lord had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel and that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro said, blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people. And Jethro, Moses' father and law brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father and law before God. The next day Moses sat to judge the people and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening when Moses' father and law saw all that he was doing for the people. He said, what is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone and all the people stand around you from morning till evening? And Moses said to his father and law, because the people come to me to inquire of God when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws. Moses' father and law said to him, what you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice. I will give you advice and God be with you. You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. For over, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tins and let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you. You will be able to endure and all this people also will go to their place and peace. So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said, Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds of fifties and of tins and they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves, then Moses let his father-in-law depart and he went away to his own country. On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Refidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God, the Lord called to him out of the mountain saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, until the people of Israel, you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on Eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, all the people answered together and said, All that the Lord had spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord and the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever. When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai and the sight of all the people and you shall set limits for the people all around saying, Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it, whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death, no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot, whether be star man he shall not live when the trumpet sounds a long blast they shall come up to the mountain. So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people and they washed their garments and he said to the people, Be ready for the third day do not go near a woman. On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled, and Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln and the whole mountain trembled greatly and as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder Moses spoke and God answered him and thundered. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up and the Lord said to Moses, Go down and warn the people lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves lest the Lord break out against them. And Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai for you yourself warned us saying set limits around the mountain and consecrated and the Lord said to him, Go down and come up bringing Aaron with you but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord lest he break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them a reading from the book of Psalms of David when he changed his behavior before a bimileck so that he drove him out and he went away. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord. Let the humble hear and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who looked to him are radiant and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them. Old taste and see that the Lord is good. It is the man who takes refuge in him. O fear the Lord you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come old children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is there who desires life and loves many days that he may see good. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are torthor righteous and his ears twerth they cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. A reading of the gospel according to Mark. And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Look, teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, When will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished? And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name saying, I am he and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed, this must take place. But the end is not yet for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. But be on your guard for they will deliver you over to councils and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death and the father his child and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let the one who was on the house top, not go down or enter his house to take anything out and let the one who was in the field not turn back to take his cloak and alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. For the sake of the elect whom he chose he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ or look, there he is. Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead a straight, if possible the elect. But be on guard, I have told you all things beforehand. But in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. From the fig tree learn its lesson. As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near at the very gates. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away into all these things take place. Even in earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the sun but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey. When he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake. For you do not know when the master of the house will come in the evening or at midnight, when the rooster crows are in the morning. Lest he comes suddenly and finds you asleep. And when I say to you, I say to all, stay awake.
