Exo 15:1-21, Judg 5, 1Sa 2:1-10, Psa 18:1, Isa 12, Tit | ESV | STEP | Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord , saying , I will sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea .

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel ^asang this song to the Lord, saying,

^b“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider ^{▼▼Or its chariot; also verse 21} he has thrown into the sea.
2 ^dThe Lord is my strength and my ^esong,
and he has become ^fmy salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
^gmy father’s God, and ^hI will exalt him.
3 The Lord is ⁱa man of war;
^jthe Lord is his name.
4 ^k“Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
and his chosen ^lofficers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The ^mfloods covered them;
they ⁿwent down into the depths like a stone.
6 ^oYour right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord, ^pshatters the enemy.
7 In the ^qgreatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
you send out your fury; it ^rconsumes them like stubble.
8 At the ^sblast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the ^tfloods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ^u‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I ^vwill divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You ^wblew with your wind; the ^xsea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 ^y“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in ^zglorious deeds, ^aadoing wonders?
12 You stretched out ^abyour right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
13 “You have ^acled in your steadfast love the people whom ^adyou have redeemed;
you have ^aeguided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 ^afThe peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom ^agdismayed;
trembling seizes the leaders of ^ahMoab;
^aiall the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and ^ajdread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still ^akas a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom ^alyou have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and ^amplant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
^anthe sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 ^aoThe Lord will reign forever and ever.”
19 For when ^apthe horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, ^aqthe Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then ^arMiriam ^asthe prophetess, the ^atsister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and ^auall the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

^av“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Judges 5

The Song of Deborah and Barak

1 ^awThen sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:

2 “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
that ^axthe people offered themselves willingly,
bless the Lord!
3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
to the Lord I will sing;
I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 “Lord, ^aywhen you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
^azthe earth trembled
and the heavens dropped,
yes, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains ^baquaked before the Lord,
^bbeven Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 “In the days of ^bcShamgar, son of Anath,
in the days of ^bdJael, ^bethe highways were abandoned,
and travelers kept to the byways.
7 The villagers ceased in Israel;
they ceased to be until I arose;
I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
8 ^bfWhen new gods were chosen,
then war was in the gates.
^bgWas shield or spear to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
who ^bhoffered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless the Lord.
10 “Tell of it, ^biyou who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on rich carpets ^{▼▼The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; it may connote saddle blankets}
and you who walk by the way.
11 To the sound of musicians ^{▼▼Or archers; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain} at the watering places,
there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord,
the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.
“Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
12 ^bl“Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, ^bmlead away your captives,
O son of Abinoam.
13 Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
14 From ^bnEphraim their root ^bothey marched down into the valley, ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew in Amalek}
following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from ^bqMachir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s ^{▼▼Hebrew commander’s} staff;
15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to ^bsBarak;
into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
16 Why did you sit still ^btamong the sheepfolds,
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
17 ^buGilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
^bvand Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
^bwAsher sat still ^bxat the coast of the sea,
staying by his landings.
18 ^byZebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
^bzNaphtali, too, on the heights of the field.
19 “The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at ^caTaanach, by the waters of ^cbMegiddo;
^ccthey got no spoils of silver.
20 ^cdFrom heaven the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 ^ceThe torrent Kishon swept them away,
the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
March on, my soul, with might!
22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,
curse its inhabitants thoroughly,
^cfbecause they did not come to the help of the Lord,
to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
24 “Most blessed of women be ^cgJael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 ^chHe asked for water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.
26 ^ciShe sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sisera;
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell—dead.
28 ^cj“Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera wailed through ^ckthe lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest princesses answer,
indeed, she answers herself,
30 ‘Have they not found and ^cldivided the spoil?—
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
31 ^cm“So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But your friends be ^cnlike the sun ^coas he rises in his might.”
^cpAnd the land had rest for forty years.

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Hannah’s Prayer

1 And Hannah prayed and said,

^cq“My heart exults in the Lord;
^crmy horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because ^csI rejoice in your salvation.
2 ^ct“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is ^cuno rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 ^cvThe bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
^cwThe barren has borne seven,
^cxbut she who has many children is forlorn.
6 ^cyThe Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 ^czThe Lord makes poor and makes rich;
^dahe brings low and he exalts.
8 ^dbHe raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
^dcto make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
^ddFor the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
9 ^de“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 ^dfThe adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
^dgagainst them he will thunder in heaven.
^dhThe Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
^diand exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Psalms 18:1

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, ^djthe servant of the Lord, ^dkwho addressed the words of this ^dlsong to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.

Isaiah 12

The Lord Is My Strength and My Song

1 You ^{▼▼The Hebrew for you is singular in verse 1} will say ^dnin that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
^doyour anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for ^dpthe Lord God ^{▼▼Hebrew for Yah, the Lord} is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3 ^drWith joy you ^{▼▼The Hebrew for you is plural in verses 3, 4} will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 ^dtAnd you will say in that day:

^du“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
^dvmake known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim ^dwthat his name is exalted.
5 ^dx“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known ^{▼▼Or this is made known} in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great ^dzin your ^{▼▼The Hebrew for your in verse 6 is singular, referring to the inhabitant of Zion} midst is ^ebthe Holy One of Israel.”

This pastoral letter from Paul to Titus was intended to offer encouragement and wisdom as Titus endured ongoing opposition from the ungodly and from legalists within his congregations. Paul instructed Titus to complete his assigned job of establishing overseers (elders) for the churches under his care. He described what sort of people these leaders should be, and how all believers should live in relation to each other as well as in their interactions with nonbelievers. Proper Christian behavior is based on the fact that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” and therefore those who believe in Christ are to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” as they await his return (2:11-13). Paul probably wrote this letter in the 60s a.d.

Titus 1

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant ^{▼▼Or slave (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)} of God and ^edan apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and ^eetheir knowledge of the truth, ^efwhich accords with godliness, 2 ^egin hope of eternal life, which God, ^ehwho never lies, ^eipromised ^ejbefore the ages began ^{▼▼Greek before times eternal} 3 and ^elat the proper time manifested in his word ^emthrough the preaching ^enwith which I have been entrusted ^eoby the command of God our Savior;

4 To Titus, ^epmy true child in ^eqa common faith:

^erGrace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Qualifications for Elders

5 ^esThis is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and ^etappoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 ^euif anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, ^{▼▼Or a man of one woman} and his children are believers ^{▼▼Or are faithful} and not open to the charge of ^exdebauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, ^{▼▼Or bishop; Greek episkopos} ^ezas God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not ^fabe arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent ^fbor greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, ^fcand disciplined. 9 He must ^fdhold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in ^fesound ^{▼▼Or healthy; also verse 13} doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

10 For there are many who are insubordinate, ^fgempty talkers and deceivers, especially those of ^fhthe circumcision party. ^{▼▼Or especially those of the circumcision} 11 They must be silenced, since ^fjthey are upsetting whole families by teaching ^fkfor shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 ^flOne of the Cretans, ^{▼▼Greek One of them} a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ^{▼▼Probably from Epimenides of Crete} 13 This testimony is true. Therefore ^forebuke them ^fpsharply, that they ^fqmay be sound in the faith, 14 ^frnot devoting themselves to Jewish myths and ^fsthe commands of people ^ftwho turn away from the truth. 15 ^fuTo the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and ^fvunbelieving, nothing is pure; but both ^fwtheir minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 ^fxThey profess to know God, but they ^fydeny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, ^fzunfit for any good work.

Titus 2

Teach Sound Doctrine

1 But as for you, teach what accords with ^gasound ^{▼▼Or healthy; also verses 2, 8} doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, ^gcsound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 ^gdOlder women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, ^genot slanderers ^gfor slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, ^ggpure, ^ghworking at home, kind, and ^gisubmissive to their own husbands, ^gjthat the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge ^gkthe younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be ^gla model of good works, and in your teaching ^gmshow integrity, ^gndignity, 8 and ^gosound speech that cannot be condemned, ^gpso that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. 9 ^gqBondservants ^{▼▼Or Slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)} are to be submissive to their own masters ^gsin everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not pilfering, ^gtbut showing all good faith, ^guso that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

11 For ^gvthe grace of God ^gwhas appeared, bringing salvation ^gxfor all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and ^gyworldly passions, and ^gzto live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in ^hathe present age, 13 ^hbwaiting for our blessed ^hchope, the ^hdappearing of the glory of our great ^heGod and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 ^hfwho gave himself for us to ^hgredeem us from all lawlessness and ^hhto purify for himself ^hia people for his own possession who are ^hjzealous for good works.

15 Declare these things; exhort and ^hkrebuke with all authority. ^hlLet no one disregard you.

Titus 3

Be Ready for Every Good Work

1 Remind them ^hmto be submissive to rulers and authorities, ^hnto be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 ^hoto speak evil of no one, ^hpto avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and ^hqto show perfect courtesy toward all people. 3 For ^hrwe ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when ^hsthe goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, ^htnot because of works done by us in righteousness, but ^huaccording to his own mercy, by ^hvthe washing of regeneration and ^hwrenewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he ^hxpoured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that ^hybeing justified by his grace we might become ^hzheirs ^iaaccording to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is ^ibtrustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful ^icto devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. 9 But ^idavoid foolish ^iecontroversies, ^ifgenealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for ^igthey are unprofitable and worthless. 10 As for a person who stirs up division, ^ihafter warning him once and then twice, ⁱⁱhave nothing more to do with him, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

Final Instructions and Greetings

12 When I send Artemas or ^ijTychicus to you, do your best to come to me ^ikat Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and ^ilApollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people learn ^imto devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not ⁱⁿbe unfruitful.

15 All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith.

^ioGrace be with you all.

Exodus 15:1-21

The Song of Moses