Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Light Shines on the Israelites
1 Yet all the while a brilliant
light was shining for your
holy people. Their enemies heard
their voices, but couldn't see them.
They envied the good fortune of
your people, who were not suffering.
2 Those enemies could at least be
thankful that the people they had
wronged were not taking vengeance
on them now, and so they begged
them to leave. note
3 Then you guided your people as
they traveled through a country they
did not know. You guided them with
a pillar of fire. It was like a sun that
would not harm them on that glorious
journey.
4 But their enemies,
who were not allowed to see the
light, deserved to be prisoners in
darkness, because they had made
prisoners of your people. And it was
through your people that the eternal
light of the Law was going to be given
to the world. note
The Death of the Egyptian First-born
5 When your enemies were carrying
out their resolve to kill the babies
of your holy people, there was
one child who was abandoned but
later rescued. Then you punished
your enemies by killing a great number
of their own children. You
drowned their whole army at one
time in the rushing waters.
6 But our
ancestors had been told in advance
of what would happen that night, so
that they would be cheered and encouraged
by confident trust in your
promises to them.
7 Your people
knew that you would rescue the
righteous nation and destroy their
enemies.
8 With the same act you
punished our enemies and did us the
glorious honor of calling us to yourself.
9 During all this time devout men
from this righteous nation were secretly
offering sacrifices, giving their
word to each other that they would
keep God's law and share each other's
blessings and dangers. Already
they were chanting those ancient
hymns of praise.
10 But their enemies'
pitiful cries of grief echoed
everywhere, as they mourned for
their dead children.
11 Masters suffered
the same punishment as their
slaves; the king endured the same
loss as the common people.
12 There
were too many dead bodies to count.
There were not enough people left to
bury them all. In a single moment
their dearest children died; all of
them met death in the same way.
13 These people had paid no attention
to any warning, but relied instead on
their magical powers. But when
their first-born sons were killed,
then they recognized that Israel was
God's son.
14 The short night was half over,
and all was quiet and peaceful,
15 when suddenly your threats were
carried out! An invincible word of
judgment sped from your royal
throne in heaven, straight down to
that doomed land. It came like a soldier
in fierce attack,
16 carrying out
your firm command with a fearful
weapon, standing with feet on the
ground and head touching the sky,
filling the land with death.
17 At that
moment the people who were about
to die had terrible nightmares and
were seized by sudden fear.
18 All
over the land they lay half-dead and
let it be known why they were dying.
19 They knew why they were dying,
because their horrible dreams had
told them.
Aaron's Prayer Saves the Israelites from Death
20 Death also came to the righteous
nation, for an epidemic struck
many of them while they were in the
desert, but your anger did not last
long.
21 There was a certain blameless
man who quickly took action to
defend them. Acting as their priest,
Aaron offered prayers and burned
the incense used in asking forgiveness
of sins. With prayers and incense
as his weapons, he withstood
your anger and ended the disaster.
-- --
By doing this he proved that he was
your servant.
22 He overcame the bitter
difficulty, note but not by his own
strength or by military force. Instead,
he used prayer to stop the
punishment, appealing to the promises
you solemnly gave to our ancestors.
23 Dead bodies were already
lying in piles, but he stepped in to
hold your anger back and to keep it
from harming those who were left
alive.
24 He wore a long robe decorated
with symbols of the universe.
In honor of our ancestors he wore
four rows of engraved stones on his
chest, and your own majesty was
represented by the ornament on his
turban.
25 The Angel of Death was
afraid of these things, and gave up.
It was only a slight experience of
your wrath, but it was enough. note
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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