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Exodus 3:1-9
English Standard Version
Exodus 3:1-9
English Standard Version
The Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the (A)mountain of God. 2 (B)And (C)the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, (D)God called to him (E)out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; (F)take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, (G)“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for (H)he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, (I)“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their (J)taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and (K)I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and (L)to bring them up out of that land to a (M)good and broad land, a land (N)flowing with milk and honey, to the place of (O)the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, (P)the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the (Q)oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 (R)Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, (S)“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, (T)“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, (U)you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: (V)‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] the (W)God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is (X)my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and (Y)gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, (Z)“I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that (AA)I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land (AB)flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And (AC)they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel (AD)shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has (AE)met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt (AF)will not let you go unless compelled (AG)by a mighty hand.[c] 20 So (AH)I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with (AI)all the wonders that I will do in it; (AJ)after that he will let you go. 21 And (AK)I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for (AL)silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So (AM)you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Moses Given Powerful Signs
4 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, (AN)“A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may (AO)believe that the Lord, (AP)the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”[d] And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was (AQ)leprous[e] like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, (AR)it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile (AS)will become blood on the dry ground.”
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but (AT)I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and (AU)I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, (AV)he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 (AW)You shall speak to him and (AX)put the words in his mouth, and (AY)I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 (AZ)He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and (BA)you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand (BB)this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to (BC)Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for (BD)all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took (BE)his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took (BF)the staff of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the (BG)miracles that I have put in your power. But (BH)I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, (BI)Israel is my (BJ)firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I (BK)will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 At a lodging place on the way (BL)the Lord met him and (BM)sought to put him to death. 25 Then (BN)Zipporah took a (BO)flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses'[f] feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness (BP)to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the (BQ)mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses (BR)told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all (BS)the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron (BT)went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 (BU)Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people (BV)believed; and when they heard that the Lord had (BW)visited the people of Israel and that he had (BX)seen their affliction, (BY)they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Making Bricks Without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold (BZ)a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, (CA)“Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, (CB)I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The (CC)God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your (CD)burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, (CE)the people of the land are now many,[g] and you make them rest from their burdens!” 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the (CF)taskmasters of the people and their (CG)foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
10 So the (CH)taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The (CI)taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” 14 And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's (CJ)taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
15 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and (CK)they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
God Promises Deliverance
6 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with (CL)a strong hand he will (CM)drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, (CN)“I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as (CO)God Almighty,[h] but by my name the (CP)Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 (CQ)I also established my covenant with them (CR)to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, (CS)I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, (CT)‘I am the Lord, and (CU)I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and (CV)I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I (CW)will take you to be my people, and (CX)I will be your God, and you shall know that (CY)I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out (CZ)from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into (DA)the land that I (DB)swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. (DC)I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they (DD)did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
10 So the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have (DE)not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for (DF)I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron
14 These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the (DG)sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. 15 The (DH)sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the (DI)sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. 17 The (DJ)sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The (DK)sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. 19 The (DL)sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. 20 (DM)Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. 21 (DN)The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The (DO)sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of (DP)Amminadab and the sister of (DQ)Nahshon, and she bore him (DR)Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The (DS)sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and (DT)she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.
26 These are the Aaron and Moses (DU)to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt (DV)by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.
28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, (DW)“I am the Lord; (DX)tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, (DY)I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
7 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like (DZ)God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your (EA)prophet. 2 (EB)You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But (EC)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I (ED)multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians (EE)shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was (EF)eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, (EG)‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the (EH)magicians of Egypt, also (EI)did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still (EJ)Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, (EK)as the Lord had said.
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 (EL)Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand (EM)the staff that turned into a (EN)serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The (EO)Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, (EP)that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this (EQ)you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and (ER)it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will (ES)grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and (ET)stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he (EU)lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the (EV)water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians (EW)could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But (EX)the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So (EY)Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as (EZ)the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
The Second Plague: Frogs
8 [i] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that (FA)they may serve me. 2 But if you (FB)refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with (FC)frogs. 3 The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into (FD)your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people,[j] and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” 5 [k] And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, (FE)‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and (FF)the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But (FG)the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, (FH)“Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and (FI)I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when (FJ)I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so (FK)that you may know that (FL)there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” 12 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh.[l] 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a (FM)respite, he (FN)hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
The Third Plague: Gnats
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, (FO)‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and (FP)there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. 18 The (FQ)magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is (FR)the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, (FS)“Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, (FT)“Let my people go, that they may serve me. 21 Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 But on that day (FU)I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, (FV)that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.[m] 23 Thus I will put a division[n] between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.”’” 24 And the Lord did so. (FW)There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.
25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an (FX)abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings (FY)abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go (FZ)three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God (GA)as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. (GB)Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh (GC)cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 31 And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh (GD)hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.
The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, (GE)“Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says (GF)the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.
Footnotes
- Exodus 3:14 Or I am what I am, or I will be what I will be
- Exodus 3:15 The word Lord, when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb hayah, “to be” in verse 14
- Exodus 3:19 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew go, not by a mighty hand
- Exodus 4:6 Hebrew into your bosom; also verse 7
- Exodus 4:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
- Exodus 4:25 Hebrew his
- Exodus 5:5 Samaritan they are now more numerous than the people of the land
- Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El Shaddai
- Exodus 8:1 Ch 7:26 in Hebrew
- Exodus 8:3 Or among your people
- Exodus 8:5 Ch 8:1 in Hebrew
- Exodus 8:12 Or which he had brought upon Pharaoh
- Exodus 8:22 Or that I the Lord am in the land
- Exodus 8:23 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew set redemption
Exodus 3:1-9
New International Version
Exodus 3:1-9
New International Version
Moses and the Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro(A) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,(B) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,(C) the mountain(D) of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord(E) appeared to him in flames of fire(F) from within a bush.(G) Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called(H) to him from within the bush,(I) “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”(J)
5 “Do not come any closer,”(K) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”(L) 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”(M) At this, Moses hid(N) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.(O)
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen(P) the misery(Q) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned(R) about their suffering.(S) 8 So I have come down(T) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,(U) a land flowing with milk and honey(V)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites(W) and Jebusites.(X) 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing(Y) them. 10 So now, go. I am sending(Z) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”(AA)
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I(AB) that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you.(AC) And this will be the sign(AD) to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.(AE)”
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?’(AF) Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am(AG) has sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[d] the God of your fathers(AH)—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(AI)—has sent me to you.’
16 “Go, assemble the elders(AL) of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(AM)—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen(AN) what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt(AO) into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’(AP)
18 “The elders of Israel will listen(AQ) to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews,(AR) has met(AS) with us. Let us take a three-day journey(AT) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(AU) to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand(AV) compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand(AW) and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders(AX) that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.(AY)
21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed(AZ) toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.(BA) 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver(BB) and gold(BC) and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder(BD) the Egyptians.”(BE)
Signs for Moses
4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen(BF) to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,”(BG) he replied.
3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,(BH) and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe(BI) that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[e]—it had become as white as snow.(BJ)
7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored,(BK) like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe(BL) you or pay attention to the first sign,(BM) they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood(BN) on the ground.”
10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”(BO)
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?(BP) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?(BQ) Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go;(BR) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”(BS)
13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”(BT)
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned(BU) against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet(BV) you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;(BW) I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth(BX) and as if you were God to him.(BY) 17 But take this staff(BZ) in your hand(CA) so you can perform the signs(CB) with it.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”
Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”
19 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill(CC) you are dead.(CD)” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons,(CE) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff(CF) of God in his hand.
21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders(CG) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart(CH) so that he will not let the people go.(CI) 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,(CJ) 23 and I told you, “Let my son go,(CK) so he may worship(CL) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”(CM)
24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses[f] and was about to kill(CN) him. 25 But Zipporah(CO) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin(CP) and touched Moses’ feet with it.[g] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain(CQ) of God and kissed(CR) him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.
29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders(CS) of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs(CT) before the people, 31 and they believed.(CU) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned(CV) about them and had seen their misery,(CW) they bowed down and worshiped.(CX)
Bricks Without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,(CY) so that they may hold a festival(CZ) to me in the wilderness.’”
2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,(DA) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”(DB)
3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey(DC) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues(DD) or with the sword.”
4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?(DE) Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,(DF) and you are stopping them from working.”
6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers(DG) and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;(DH) let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.(DI) They are lazy;(DJ) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’(DK) 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
10 Then the slave drivers(DL) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced(DM) at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,(DN) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!(DO) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work.(DP) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”
19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge(DQ) you! You have made us obnoxious(DR) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword(DS) in their hand to kill us.”(DT)
God Promises Deliverance
22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(DU) Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued(DV) your people at all.”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand(DW) he will let them go;(DX) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(DY)
2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(DZ) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[h](EA) but by my name(EB) the Lord[i](EC) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(ED) with them to give them the land(EE) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(EF) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(EG) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(EH)
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(EI) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(EJ) you with an outstretched arm(EK) and with mighty acts of judgment.(EL) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(EM) Then you will know(EN) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land(EO) I swore(EP) with uplifted hand(EQ) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(ER) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(ES)
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.(ET)
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell(EU) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”(EV)
12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen(EW) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[j]?”(EX)
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.(EY)
14 These were the heads of their families[k]:(EZ)
The sons of Reuben(FA) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon(FB) were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 These were the names of the sons of Levi(FC) according to their records: Gershon,(FD) Kohath and Merari.(FE) Levi lived 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(FF)
18 The sons of Kohath(FG) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(FH) Kohath lived 133 years.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(FI)
These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20 Amram(FJ) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(FK) Amram lived 137 years.
21 The sons of Izhar(FL) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(FM) and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(FN) and sister of Nahshon,(FO) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(FP) Eleazar(FQ) and Ithamar.(FR)
24 The sons of Korah(FS) were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.(FT)
These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt(FU) by their divisions.”(FV) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(FW) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(FX)
Aaron to Speak for Moses
28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord.(FY) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,(FZ) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God(GA) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.(GB) 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(GC) and though I multiply my signs and wonders(GD) in Egypt, 4 he will not listen(GE) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment(GF) I will bring out my divisions,(GG) my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(GH) when I stretch out my hand(GI) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”
6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded(GJ) them. 7 Moses was eighty years old(GK) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,(GL)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”(GM)
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,(GN) and the Egyptian magicians(GO) also did the same things by their secret arts:(GP) 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart(GQ) became hard and he would not listen(GR) to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;(GS) he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.(GT) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,(GU) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship(GV) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.(GW) 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:(GX) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.(GY) 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;(GZ) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”(HA)
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff(HB) and stretch out your hand(HC) over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels[l] of wood and stone.”
20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.(HD) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,(HE) and all the water was changed into blood.(HF) 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians(HG) did the same things by their secret arts,(HH) and Pharaoh’s heart(HI) became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water(HJ), because they could not drink the water of the river.
The Plague of Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile. 8 1 [m]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship(HK) me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs(HL) on your whole country. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people,(HM) and into your ovens and kneading troughs.(HN) 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’”
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff(HO) over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs(HP) come up on the land of Egypt.’”
6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs(HQ) came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts;(HR) they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray(HS) to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices(HT) to the Lord.”
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time(HU) for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.(HV) 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked.(HW) The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,(HX) he hardened his heart(HY) and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Gnats
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff(HZ) and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats(IA) came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians(IB) tried to produce gnats by their secret arts,(IC) they could not.
Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger(ID) of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart(IE) was hard and he would not listen,(IF) just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Flies
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning(IG) and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship(IH) me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.
22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen,(II) where my people live;(IJ) no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know(IK) that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction[n] between my people and your people.(IL) This sign will occur tomorrow.’”
24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.(IM)
25 Then Pharaoh summoned(IN) Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”
26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians.(IO) And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey(IP) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(IQ) to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”
28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray(IR) for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully(IS) again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,(IT) 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart(IU) and would not let the people go.
The Plague on Livestock
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship(IV) me.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
- Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
- Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
- Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for Lord sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
- Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
- Exodus 4:24 Hebrew him
- Exodus 4:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
- Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
- Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
- Exodus 7:19 Or even on their idols
- Exodus 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-4 is numbered 7:26-29, and 8:5-32 is numbered 8:1-28.
- Exodus 8:23 Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew will put a deliverance
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