Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people^(A) were and watched them at their hard labor.^(B) He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”^(C)

¹⁴ The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?^(D) Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill^(E) Moses, but Moses fled^(F) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,^(G) where he sat down by a well.

⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing^(A) them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending^(B) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”^(C)

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I^(D) that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you.^(E) And this will be the sign^(F) to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[a] will worship God on this mountain.^(G)”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’^(H) Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^[b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am^(I) has sent me to you.’”