²² Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “My Lord, why have you abused this people? Why did you send me for this? ²³ Ever since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has abused this people. And you’ve done absolutely nothing to rescue your people.”

God reassures Moses

6 The Lord replied to Moses, “Now you will see what I’ll do to Pharaoh. In fact, he’ll be so eager to let them go that he’ll drive them out of his land by force.”

² God also said to Moses: “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty,^[a] but I didn’t reveal myself to them by my name ‘The Lord.’ ⁴ I also set up my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan where they lived as immigrants. ⁵ I’ve also heard the cry of grief of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have turned into slaves, and I’ve remembered my covenant. ⁶ Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I’ll bring you out from Egyptian forced labor. I’ll rescue you from your slavery to them. I’ll set you free with great power and with momentous events of justice. ⁷ I’ll take you as my people, and I’ll be your God. You will know that I, the Lord, am your God, who has freed you from Egyptian forced labor. ⁸ I’ll bring you into the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ll give it to you as your possession. I am the Lord.’” ⁹ Moses told this to the Israelites. But they didn’t listen to Moses, because of their complete exhaustion and their hard labor.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go and tell Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, to let the Israelites out of his land.”

¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “The Israelites haven’t even listened to me. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen to me, especially since I’m not a very good speaker?” ¹³ Nevertheless, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, giving them orders to let the Israelites go from the land of Egypt.

7 The Lord said to Moses, “See, I’ve made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. ² You will say everything that I command you, and your brother Aaron will tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites out of his land. ³ But I’ll make Pharaoh stubborn, and I’ll perform many of my signs and amazing acts in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When Pharaoh refuses to listen to you, then I’ll act against Egypt and I’ll bring my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt in military formation by momentous events of justice. ⁵ The Egyptians will come to know that I am the Lord, when I act against Egypt and bring the Israelites out from among them.” ⁶ Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them.