by Pam Johnson (WELS Family Devotions) on June 24, 2026 at 9:00 am

A man went to the doctor because his ear hurt badly...

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 24, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 24Exodus 18 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 24 Exodus 18 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0624db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Jethro Visits Moses 1 Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, priest of Midian, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 After Moses had sent his wife Zipporah away, his father-in-law Jethro had taken her in, 3 along with her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, [1] for Moses had said, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” 4 The name of the other was Eliezer, [2] for he had said, “My father’s God was my helper, and he has delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.” 5 Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, Moses’ sons, and his wife were coming to Moses in the wilderness where he had camped at the mountain of God. 6 He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, your wife, and her two sons are coming to you.” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other how they had been, [3] and they went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, about all the hardships that had confronted them along the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 Jethro rejoiced over all the good things that the Lord had done for Israel when he delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and the hand of Pharaoh. Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered the people out of the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods because he did this to those who acted arrogantly against the Israelites.” 12 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God. 13 The next day Moses sat down to serve as a judge for the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything that he did for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 Whenever there is a dispute between them, they come to me, and I judge between the two sides, and I reveal the regulations of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, for the work is too much for you. You are not able to handle this alone. 19 Listen to me now. I will give you advice, and may God be with you. Represent the people before God, and bring their disputes to God. 20 Instruct them about the regulations and laws, and show them the way they are to live and the things that they are to do. 21 But you should select capable men from among all the people, God-fearing, trustworthy men, who hate dishonest gain. Then place them over the people as officials over groups of a thousand, a hundred, fifty, or ten. 22 Have them judge all the disputes of the people at the first level. They can refer any difficult case to you, but every easy case they can judge themselves. Make your load lighter; they can carry it with you. 23 If you will do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will also return home satisfied.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. 25 Moses chose capable men from all of Israel and made them leaders over the people: officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 They judged all the cases of the people initially. They brought the difficult cases to Moses, but every easy case they judged themselves. 27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he returned to his own land. Footnotes Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for an alien there. Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper. Exodus 18:7 Literally the one asked his neighbor about peace or well-being The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 23, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 23Exodus 17 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 23 Exodus 17 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0623db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Water From the Rock 1 The entire Israelite community set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin [1] as the Lord had commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing the Lord?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up out of Egypt to let us, our children, and our livestock die of thirst?” 4 Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me!” 5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go in front of the people, and take the elders of Israel with you. Also take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Watch me. I will stand there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” Moses did that in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah [2] and Meribah, [3] because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Battle With the Amalekites 8 Then the Amalekites came and fought against the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us, and go out and fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop, and God’s staff will be in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did just as Moses told him. While Joshua was fighting against the Amalekites, Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the hilltop. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, the Israelites would start winning, but whenever he lowered his hand, [4] the Amalekites would start winning. 12 When Moses’ arms became tired, they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands—one on one side, and one on the other side. In this way his hands were steady until sunset. 13 So Joshua defeated the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 The Lord then said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a memorial, and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely erase the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord Is My Banner,” 16 because he had said, “Since a hand was raised against the throne of the Lord, [5] the Lord will be at war with the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Footnotes Exodus 17:1 Sin is a geographic name like Sinai. It is not the English word sin. Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing. Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling. Exodus 17:11 The Hebrew reads the singular hand. The Samaritan Pentateuch, the Targum, and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions read hands (also in the second part of this verse). Apparently, at first, Moses held up the staff in alternate hands. Exodus 17:16 The meaning of this Hebrew clause is uncertain. The Hebrew has an unusual form of the word for throne, which looks similar to the word for banner. The main options, therefore, are a hand was against the throne of Yah or a hand is on the banner of Yah. The divine name Yahweh (Lord) here appears in the shortened form Yah. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by Pam Johnson (WELS Family Devotions) on June 22, 2026 at 9:00 am

Have you ever had good news that you wanted to tell, but you weren’t allowed to yet?...

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 22, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 22Exodus 15:22 – 16:36 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 22 Exodus 15:22 – 16:36 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0622db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Exodus 15 The Waters of Marah and Elim 22 Then Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur. They traveled for three days in the wilderness but found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they were not able to drink the waters of Marah, because they were bitter. That is why they named the place Marah. [1] 24 The people grumbled against Moses, and they said, “What will we drink?” 25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him some wood. Moses threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord made a decree and ruling for them, and there he tested them. 26 So he said, “If only you would listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his eyes, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his regulations, I would not place on you any of the diseases that I placed on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters. The Lord Provides Manna and Quail Exodus 16 1 On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the entire Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, [2] which is between Elim and Sinai. 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted, but now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Watch what I will do. I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether they will follow my instructions or not. 5 On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the Glory of the Lord, because he has heard your constant grumbling against the Lord. Who are we that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses said, “Now the Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because the Lord has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 As Aaron spoke to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and suddenly the Glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 The Lord spoke to Moses: 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Say to them, ‘At evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13 So in the evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew surrounded the camp. 14 When the layer of dew was gone, there were thin flakes on the surface of the wilderness, thin as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” [3] because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given to you as food to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: All of them are to gather as much of it as they need to eat. You are to take an omer [4] per person based on the number of people each of you has in your tents.” 17 The Israelites did this, and some gathered more, some less. 18 When they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered more did not have too much, and the one who gathered less did not have too little. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. 19 Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until morning.” 20 However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left part of it until morning, and it became full of worms and stank. So Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it each morning. All of them gathered as much as they needed to eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person, and all the leaders of the community came and reported to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy sabbath [5] to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, but set aside for yourselves all the rest of it to be kept until morning.” 24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Today eat whatever is left over, for today is a sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find any around the camp. [6] 26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they did not find any. 28 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will you people refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? 29 Look, the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore on the sixth day he will give you two days’ worth of bread. All of you are to stay where you are. None of you are to leave your places on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 The house of Israel called it manna. [7] It looked like white coriander seed, and it tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: A full omer [8] of it is to be kept throughout your generations so that they may see the bread which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.” 33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a container, and put a full omer of manna in it. Place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 To obey the Lord’s command to Moses, Aaron placed an omer before the Testimony, [9] to be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer, by the way, is one-tenth of an ephah.) Footnotes Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitter. Exodus 16:1 Sin is a geographic name like Sinai. It does not refer to Israel’s sin. Exodus 16:15 The Hebrew for What is it? sounds like the word for manna. Exodus 16:16 An omer is a container that holds approximately two quarts. Since the term here means both the container and the amount that it holds, and an omer is compared with an ephah, another ancient measurement, the translation retains the Hebrew term rather than converting it to a present-day measurement. See verse 36. Exodus 16:23 The Hebrew word shabbat means a day of rest. Here the Hebrew reads a shabbaton, a holy shabbat to the Lord. Exodus 16:25 Literally in the field Exodus 16:31 Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? See verse 15. Exodus 16:32 An omer is a container that holds about two quarts. See the note on verse 16. Exodus 16:34 The Testimony is another name for the Ten Commandments and for the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 21, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 21Exodus 14:1 – 15:21 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 21 Exodus 14:1 – 15:21 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0621db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Crossing the Red Sea Exodus 14 1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to camp by the sea, facing Baal Zephon. 3 Then Pharaoh will say about the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and his entire army. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So that is what the Israelites did. 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials had a change of heart concerning the people. They said, “What have we done? We have let Israel go! They will not serve us anymore!” 6 So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his troops with him. 7 He also took six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites. The Israelites were going out defiantly. [1] 9 The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his charioteers, [2] and his army caught up with them where they were camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, which faces Baal Zephon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them. The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Wasn’t this what we said to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm, and see the salvation from the Lord, which he will perform for you today. For the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you. You must wait quietly.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to set out. 16 As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide the sea so that the Israelites can go through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go into the sea after them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and his entire army, through his chariots and his charioteers. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his charioteers.” 19 Then the Angel of God, who was going in front of the Israelite forces, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. 20 It went between the Egyptian forces and the Israelite forces. The cloud was dark on one side, but it lit up the night on the other. Neither group approached the other all night long. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all night long the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dry land. The waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the middle of the sea on dry ground. The waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his charioteers went after them into the middle of the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud. Then he confused the Egyptian forces. 25 He jammed [3] their chariot wheels, and they had difficulty driving them. The Egyptians said, “We must flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their charioteers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal place. While the Egyptians were fleeing from it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. 28 The waters came back and covered the chariots and the charioteers, the entire army of Pharaoh that went into the sea after the Israelites. Not even one of them survived. 29 But the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry land, and the waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 30 On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the mighty hand which the Lord put into action against the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in Moses, his servant. The Song of Moses and Miriam Exodus 15 1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said: I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea. 2 The Lord [4] is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. 3 The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name. 4 He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea. His elite officers are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The deep waters covered them. They sank down to the depths like a stone. 6 Lord, your right hand is glorious in power. Lord, your right hand has shattered the enemy. 7 In your great majesty you overthrew those who opposed you. You sent out your burning anger. It consumed them like stubble. 8 At the blast from your nostrils the waters piled up. The flowing waters stood up like a dam. The deep waters became solid in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, “I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the plunder. I will do whatever I want with them. I will draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.” 10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in praise, working wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. 13 In your mercy you will lead the people that you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy pastureland. [5] 14 The nations will hear and tremble. Anguish will grip the inhabitants of Philistia. 15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified. Trembling will seize the leaders of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away in despair. 16 Terror and dread will fall upon them. By the great power of your arm they will be as still as stone     until your people pass by, O Lord,     until the people whom you have purchased pass by. 17 You will bring them in and plant them     on the mountain that belongs to you,     the place, O Lord, that you have made for your dwelling,     the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established. 18 The Lord will reign forever and ever. 19 When Pharaoh’s horses along with his chariots and charioteers went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back on them, but the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand drum, and all the women followed her with drums and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them, Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea. Footnotes Exodus 14:8 Literally with an upraised hand Exodus 14:9 At this point of military history, the Hebrew word often translated horsemen very likely refers to chariot crews, not cavalry. It seems cavalry was not common before the Assyrian period. Exodus 14:25 The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek and Syriac versions read bound up or jammed. The Hebrew reads removed. Exodus 15:2 The divine name Yahweh here appears in the shortened form Yah. Exodus 15:13 That is, the land of Israel The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 20, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 20Exodus 12:37 – 13:22 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 20 Exodus 12:37 – 13:22 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0620db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Exodus 12 37 The Israelites set out from Rameses to Sukkoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides their families. 38 A mixed group of non-Israelites also went up along with them, as well as a large amount of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 The Israelites baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves, for it had not been leavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay. They also had not prepared any provisions for themselves. 40 The amount of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the very day, all of the Lord’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night that the Lord kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt. This same night is dedicated to the Lord. All the Israelites are to keep vigil throughout their generations. Passover Restrictions 43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the regulation concerning the Passover: No foreigner may eat it. 44 But any slave whom you have purchased may eat it if you circumcise him. 45 A temporary resident or a hired servant may not eat it. 46 It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones. 47 The whole community of Israel shall do this. 48 If a resident alien among you wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, every male in his household must be circumcised. Then he may take part in it. He will be treated like a native-born of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. 49 The same law will apply to the native-born and to the alien who resides among you.” 50 So that is what all the Israelites did. They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 That same day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, lined up by their divisions. Instructions for Remembering the Passover Exodus 13 1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Set apart all the firstborn for me, the firstborn of every mother [1] among the Israelites, both people and animals. The firstborn belongs to me.” 3 Then Moses said this to the people: Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, where you were slaves. [2] For by the strength of his hand the Lord brought you out from there. Nothing with leaven [3] may be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 So when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—the land he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to perform this ceremony during this month: 6 Seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread must be eaten throughout the seven days. No leavened bread is to be seen among you. No yeast is to be seen among you, anywhere in your entire territory. 8 On that day you are to explain this to your son, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” 9 This will serve as a sign for you on your wrist and a reminder on your forehead [4] so that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 You must keep this regulation at its appointed time from year to year. 11 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites—just as he swore to you and to your fathers—and gives it to you, 12 then you must dedicate the firstborn of every mother to the Lord. Every firstborn of your livestock, the ones that are males, will belong to the Lord. 13 Every firstborn donkey you are to redeem with a lamb. But if you do not want to redeem it, then you are to break its neck. However, you must redeem all the firstborn among your sons. 14 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is this about?” you will say to him, “By the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, where we were slaves. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of people and animals. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord the firstborn of every mother, the males, but I redeem every firstborn of my sons.” 16 It will serve as a sign on your wrist and a symbol on your forehead. For by the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt. Pillars of Cloud and Fire 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way that goes to the land of the Philistines, although it was more direct, for God said, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people by the way that goes through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. [5] The Israelites went up from the land of Egypt in battle formation. 19 Moses also took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. Joseph had said, “God will surely come to your aid. Then you must bring up my bones with you from Egypt.” 20 They set out from Sukkoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on their way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. In this way they could travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people. Footnotes Exodus 13:2 Literally the opener of every womb. Jewish tradition, however, focuses more on the firstborn sons of fathers. This verse seems to be a general statement of a principle, for which details are given later. It is not clear how the principle was to be applied to flocks. Exodus 13:3 Literally the house of slaves Exodus 13:3 Yeast is the most common kind of leaven, but the terms are not synonymous. Yeast is an organism. Leaven is any agent that causes bread to rise. Leaven in the Bible was frequently a clump of fermented dough that had been reserved. Exodus 13:9 Since the ceremony could not be literally worn on the wrist or forehead, this seems to mean that the ceremony would be a visual aid in the same way that objects worn on the wrist or forehead would be (Deuteronomy 6:8). Exodus 13:18 The Hebrew name for the sea, Yam Suf, seems to mean Sea of Reeds and includes the present Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez west of the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gulf of Aqaba east of the Sinai Peninsula. The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

by Pam Johnson (WELS Family Devotions) on June 19, 2026 at 9:00 am

Quick: How many of the twelve apostles can you name?...

by WELS (WELS Through my Bible in Three Years) on June 19, 2026 at 6:00 am

Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 19Exodus 12:1-36 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – June 19 Exodus 12:1-36 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0619db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Exodus 12 Instructions for the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread 1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron this in the land of Egypt: [1] 2 This month is to be the beginning of your calendar. It is to be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the entire Israelite community that on the tenth day of this month, they are to take a lamb or a young goat [2] for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, one lamb per household. 4 But if the household is too small for a whole lamb, then that person and his neighbor next door to him must select one, based on the number of people. Determine what size lamb is needed according to how much each person will eat. 5 Your lamb must be unblemished, a year-old male. You may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6 You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. Then the whole assembly of the Israelite community is to slaughter the lambs at sunset. [3] 7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat the lamb. 8 That night they shall eat the meat that has been roasted over a fire, along with unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over a fire—with its head, its legs, and its internal organs. 10 You shall not leave any of it until the morning. Whatever remains until the morning, you shall burn in the fire. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt ready for travel, [4] your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For on that night I will pass through the land of Egypt. I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. There will be no plague among you to destroy you when I strike down the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. Throughout your generations you must celebrate it as a permanent regulation. 15 For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you must be sure to remove all yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you are to have a holy convocation; also on the seventh day there is to be a holy convocation. You shall not do any work, except to prepare what everybody needs to eat. That is all you may do. 17 You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your divisions out from the land of Egypt. You shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent regulation. 18 In the first month, you shall eat unleavened bread from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. 19 No yeast is to be found in your houses for seven days, for whoever eats something leavened must be cut off from the Israelite community, whether a foreigner or native-born of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything leavened. You shall eat unleavened bread in every place you live. 21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take lambs for yourselves according to your family size, and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bundle of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and paint the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you are to go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 “You shall observe these instructions as a perpetual regulation for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you just as he said he would, you shall observe this ceremony. 26 So when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Passover to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. When he struck the Egyptians, he spared our houses.’” The people bowed down and worshipped. 28 The Israelites went and did all this. They did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. The Exodus 29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, even all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 During the night Pharaoh got up—he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians—and there was a loud outcry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not someone dead. 31 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron that night and said, “Get up, get away from my people! Both you and the Israelites, go, serve the Lord, as you have said! 32 Take also your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go! But also bless me!” 33 The Egyptians urged the people to leave the land quickly, for the Egyptians said, “We are all going to die!” 34 The Israelites took their dough before it was leavened. They carried their kneading bowls, which were wrapped in their clothing, on their shoulders. 35 The Israelites did just as Moses had said, and they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they let the Israelites have what they asked for. In this way they plundered the Egyptians. Footnotes Exodus 12:1 Throughout the translation, long speeches, sets of instructions, and oracles are treated as single documents, not as sets of quotations. Such documents are not set off by quotation marks. Within these documents, regular rules for quotation marks apply. Exodus 12:3 One Hebrew word means both lamb and kid. Exodus 12:6 Literally between the evenings, very likely between sunset and darkness Exodus 12:11 Literally with your hips girded The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. 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