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Exodus 1-15
New Catholic Bible

The Children of Israel in Egypt[a]

Oppression of the Israelites[b]

Chapter 1

1 [c]These are the names of the children of Israel who entered Egypt with Joseph, each of them arriving with his family: 2 [d]Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 The total number of those born to Jacob was seventy.[e] Joseph was already in Egypt.

6 [f]Now Joseph died and then all his brothers and all that generation. 7 The children of Israel multiplied and grew numerous and very powerful and filled the land.

Harsh Condition of the Children of Israel.[g] 8 Then a new king arose in Egypt who had not known Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the children of Israel are very numerous and more powerful than we are. 10 Let us deal wisely with them lest they continue to multiply. Otherwise, if there were a war, they would join our enemies and battle against us and then escape from the land.”

11 So taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to wear them down with forced labor. They built the supply cities[h] of Pithom and Raameses for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and grew beyond measure. The Egyptians began to dread the presence of the children of Israel 13 and therefore put them to work, treating them harshly. 14 They made their lives difficult and forced them to make clay bricks and to do all kinds of work in the fields. They forced them to do every type of harsh work.

15 Command to the Midwives. The king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other named Puah, 16 “When you assist the Hebrew women who are in labor, look at the child while it is still on the birthing stool. If it is a boy, kill it. If it is a girl, you can let it live.” 17 But the midwives feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt had ordered them to do. They let the babies live.

18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the babies live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians. They are full of life. Before the midwife arrives, they have already given birth.”

20 God blessed the midwives. The people grew and became very numerous. 21 God gave the midwives numerous families because they had feared God. 22 Pharaoh therefore gave this command to all of his people: “Every male son who is born to the Hebrews is to be thrown into the Nile, but let the girl babies live.”

The Liberator Raised Up by God

Chapter 2

Moses Is Saved.[i] 1 There was a certain man from the tribe of Levi who took a daughter of the tribe of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was handsome and she hid him for three months. 3 But, not being able to hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus, caulked it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the baby in it and lay it among the reeds growing on the riverbank of the Nile. 4 The baby’s sister[j] hid herself so that she could watch what would happen from a distance.

5 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe while her attendants walked along the riverbank. They saw the basket among the reeds and sent a slave to fetch it. 6 They opened it and saw the baby. It was a small baby boy who was crying. They had compassion on it and said, “This is a Hebrew baby.”

7 The sister of the baby said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go to call a wet nurse from among the Hebrew women to feed the child for you?”

8 “Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter. The girl went and called the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby with you and feed it for me. I will pay you.” The woman took the baby and fed it. 10 When the baby was grown, she brought it to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became a son to her and she named him Moses, saying, “I have saved him from the water.”[k]

11 Moses Flees to Midian.[l] One day Moses, having grown up,[m] went out to his brethren and saw how they were oppressed. He noticed an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 Looking around, he did not see anyone, so he struck and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out again and, seeing two Hebrews fighting, said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why did you hit your brother?” 14 He answered, “Who has made you head and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me like you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and thought, “Certainly this thing is known.” 15 Pharaoh heard about it and sought to put Moses to death. Moses fled from Pharaoh and traveled to the land of Midian[n] where he sat down by a well.

16 A priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water to fill the trough and give water to their father’s flocks. 17 But some shepherds arrived and chased them away. Moses got up and defended them and gave their animals something to drink. 18 They returned to their father Reuel[o] who said to them, “Why are you back so soon today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds. He drew water for us and gave water to the flock to drink.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave him there? Invite him to eat with us.” 21 Moses agreed to live with that man, who gave him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. 22 She bore him a son and he named his son Gershom for he said, “I am a stranger in a strange land.”[p]

23 God Does Not Forget the Covenant.[q] And it came to pass that the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery, and they cried out. The cry of their bondage rose up to God. 24 God heard their cry and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God took note of the children of Israel and acknowledged their need.

The Burning Bush[r]

Chapter 3

The Call of Moses.[s] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[t] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[u] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. 3 Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”

4 The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.[v]

7 The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,[w] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. 9 The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. 10 Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”

11 Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I am with you. Behold, this is proof that I have sent you, when you will lead the people from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”

13 God Reveals His Name.[x] Moses said to God, “If I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ but they say to me, ‘What is his name,’ what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[y] Then he said, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you.’ This is my name forever. This is the title with which I will be remembered from one generation to the next.”

16 Moses Is Invested with His Mission.[z]“Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me,[aa] the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, saying, “I have seen you and what is done to you in Egypt. 17 I have said, ‘I will make them go out from the humiliation of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ” ’

18 “They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Let us make a three days’ journey into the desert to make a sacrifice to the Lord, our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to leave unless he is forced. 20 I will therefore stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will work in their midst. Afterward, they will let you go.

21 “I will make this people find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. When you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every woman will ask her neighbor and those living in her house for silver and gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”

Chapter 4

Moses Is Encouraged and Receives the Gift of Working Prodigies.[ab] 1 Moses answered, “Behold, they will not believe me nor listen to my voice. They will say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.” 3 The Lord said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw the staff to the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses retreated away from it. 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Reach out and take it by its tail.” He reached out and took it, and it became a staff again in his hand. 5 “This is so that they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 The Lord continued, “Place your hand inside your tunic.” He placed his hand in his tunic and then drew it out. Behold, his hand was covered with leprosy and was white as the snow.[ac] 7 The Lord said, “Put your hand back in your tunic.” He put his hand back in the tunic and drew it out again. Behold, it was once again like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you and heed the first sign, then they will believe the message of the second. 9 If they do not believe either of the signs and will not listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

10 Aaron, Spokesman for Moses. Moses said to the Lord, “My Lord, I am not eloquent. I have never been so in the past nor now that you have begun to speak to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord told him, “Who has made man with a mouth? Who can make him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will be with your mouth and supervise what you are to say.” 13 Moses said, “Forgive me, my Lord, but please send someone else.” 14 The Lord became angry with Moses and said to him, “Do you not have a brother, Aaron, a Levite. I know that he can speak well. He is now on his way here to meet you. When he sees you, his heart will rejoice.[ad] 15 You will speak to him and place the words he is to say in his mouth. I will be with you and with him while you speak and I will tell you what you are to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you. It will be as if he is your mouth and you are his God. 17 Take this staff in your hand and perform the signs with it.”

18 Moses Returns to Egypt.[ae] Moses left and returned to Jethro, his father-in-law, and told him, “Let me leave and return to my brothers who are in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for those who sought to kill you are dead.” 20 Moses took his wife and his sons, placed them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses held the staff of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you do all the signs that I have placed in your hand in the presence of Pharaoh. But I will harden his heart and he will not let my people go. 22 You will say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is my firstborn son. 23 I have told you to let my son go so that he might serve me, but you have refused to let him leave. Therefore, I will kill your firstborn son.” ’ ”

24 [af]On the way, when they were camped for the night, the Lord came and tried to kill Moses. 25 Zipporah took a flint knife and cut the foreskin of her son and with it touched Moses’ feet and said, “You are now my spouse of blood.” 26 Then God let him go. She said “spouse of blood” because of the circumcision.

27 Moses Makes Contact with His People.[ag] The Lord said to Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the desert.” He went and met Moses on the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words that God had sent him to say and about all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled the elders of the children of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke to the people, telling them all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and performing the signs before the people. 31 The people believed when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and had seen their affliction. They knelt down in worship.

Chapter 5[ah]

First Audience of Moses with Pharaoh. 1 Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and proclaimed to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Let my people go so that they might celebrate a feast in the desert.’ ” 2 Pharaoh answered, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to his voice and let Israel leave? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel leave.” 3 They said, “The God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us leave for a journey of three days into the desert to celebrate a sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he punish us with plague or the sword.”

4 The king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people away from their work? Return to your work.” 5 Pharaoh added, “Behold how numerous the people of the land are. Would you have them rest from their labors?”

6 On that day, Pharaoh gave this order to the taskmasters of the people and to his overseers:[ai] 7 “Do not give any more straw[aj] for making bricks to the people as you previously have. Let them get their own straw. 8 But you must demand that they make the same number of bricks as before, without any reduction. They are lazy. That is why they are protesting, ‘We wish to leave, we must sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid upon them so that they keep busy and not pay attention to lies.”

10 The taskmasters of the people and the overseers went out and spoke to the people: “Pharaoh has ordered, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 You can go and gather it for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work must not decline.’ ”

12 The people scattered all throughout Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 But the taskmasters urged them on saying, “Finish your work, your daily quota, just as when you were given straw.”

14 Complaint of the Overseers. The overseers of the children of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had placed over them, beat them saying, “Why have you not finished your number of bricks today and yesterday like you did before?”

15 The overseers of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh and appealed to him saying, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 You have not given straw to your servants, but you tell them to make bricks. Your servants are beaten and it is the fault of your own people.” 17 He answered, “You are lazy, lazy! This is why you say, ‘We want to leave; we must sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now go, work! You will not be given straw, but you will produce the same number of bricks.”

19 The overseers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “Do not lower the daily number of bricks.” 20 Upon leaving Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them. 21 They said, “The Lord look upon you and judge, for you have made us hateful to Pharaoh and his ministers. You placed the sword in their hands to kill us.”

22 Renewal of God’s Promise. Moses turned again to the Lord and said, “My Lord, why have you treated this people so badly? Why did you send me? 23 From the time that I went to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name, he has treated this people harshly and you have not done anything to free your people.”

Chapter 6

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I am about to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will let them go. With a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”

Another Account of Moses’ Call.[ak] 2 God spoke to Moses and told him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God the all-powerful, but I did not reveal my name, the Lord, to them. 4 I established a covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, that land where they dwelt as aliens.

5 “And now I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel in their bondage to the Egyptians and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Therefore, say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from your forced labor to the Egyptians. I will free you from their slavery and liberate you with an outstretched arm[al] and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord, your God, who will bring you out from your forced labor to the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore with an oath I would give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as an inheritance, for I am the Lord.’ ”

9 Moses said these things to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to him, for they were at the limits of their endurance because of their harsh slavery.[am]

10 The Lord said to Moses: 11 “Go to speak with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so that he will let the children of Israel leave his land.” 12 But Moses said these things in God’s presence, “Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me; how could Pharaoh listen to me, for I am a man of unskilled speech?”

13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel leave the land of Egypt.

14 Genealogy of Moses and Aaron. These are the heads of their families. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of the Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old.

17 The sons of Gershon, by their clans, were Libni and Shimei.

18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be one hundred and thirty-three years old.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

20 Amram took Jochebed as his wife. She was his father’s sister. She bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam. Amram lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old.

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, as his wife. She bore Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

25 Eleazar, the son of Aaron, took a daughter of Putiel, as a wife. She bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the ancestral clans of Levi.

26 These are the Aaron and the Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.”

27 They told Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel leave Egypt. They are Moses and Aaron.

28 Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. This is what happened when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. 29 The Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord! Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, what I say to you.” 30 Moses spoke in the presence of the Lord, “Behold, I am a poor speaker, how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

Chapter 7

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have made you like a God to Pharaoh; Aaron will be your prophet.[an] 2 You will tell him what I have commanded you. Aaron, your brother, will tell Pharaoh to permit the children of Israel to leave his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt and I will make my hosts leave Egypt, the children of Israel, with great acts of judgment.

5 “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the children of Israel out from their midst.”

6 Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded them to do. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The Plagues of Egypt[ao]

Aaron’s Staff Turned into a Snake. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourself by performing a wondrous deed,’ you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh and it will become a serpent.’ ” 10 Moses and Aaron then went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them to do. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Pharaoh gathered the wise men and sorcerers and even the magicians of Egypt. With their magic they did the same thing. 12 Each one threw his staff and the staffs became serpents, but the staff of Aaron swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

14 First Plague: Water Turned into Blood.[ap] The Lord said to Moses, “The heart of Pharaoh is hardened. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water and stand in front of him on the Nile riverbank and take the staff in your hand that was changed into a serpent. 16 Then you will tell him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, ‘Let my people go so that they can serve me in the desert. Up to now you have not obeyed.’ 17 The Lord says, ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters of the Nile with the staff that I have in my hand, and they will change into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid so that the Egyptians will not be able to drink from the Nile.” ’ ”

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, their ponds, and over all their supplies of water. They will turn into blood and there will be blood in all of the land of Egypt, even in their wood and stone jars.’ ”

20 Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters of the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the waters of the Nile changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water. There was blood in the entire land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt, with their magic, did the same thing. The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.[aq] 23 Pharaoh turned his back on them and went into his house and did not even pay attention to these things. 24 All the Egyptians dug along the Nile to find water to drink because they could not drink the water in the Nile.

25 Second Plague: The Frogs. Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. 26 [ar]The Lord said to Moses, “Go to speak to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go to serve me. 27 If you refuse to let them go, then I will strike your land with frogs. 28 The Nile will swarm with frogs. They will come out and go into your houses, into the rooms where you sleep and up on your beds, into the houses of your ministers and your people, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 29 The frogs will come out and climb over you and your ministers.” ’ ”

Chapter 8

1 The Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron: ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the waters, over the canals and pools, and make frogs come out all over the land of Egypt.’ ”

2 Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt and frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt. 3 But the magicians, with their magic, did the same thing and made frogs to come up out all over the land of Egypt.

4 Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron summoned and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me, and my people and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

5 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Do me the honor of telling me when I should pray for you and your ministers and your people, to free you and your house from frogs, so that they only remain in the waters of the Nile.”

6 He answered, “Tomorrow.” Then Moses said, “As you say. In order that you may know that there is no equal to the Lord, our God, 7 the frogs will leave your house and those of your servants and of your people, remaining only in the Nile.”

8 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses beseeched the Lord concerning the frogs that he had sent against Pharaoh. 9 The Lord did as Moses had said and the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields. 10 They piled them up in heaps and the land stank. 11 But Pharaoh saw that there was a moment of relief, and he became stubborn and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

12 Third Plague: The Gnats.[as] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth. It will change into gnats[at] in all the land of Egypt.’ ” 13 This is what he did. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth changed into gnats throughout Egypt. 14 The magicians did the same thing with their magic to produce gnats, but they were not able to do it. The gnats were on man and beast. 15 The magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God.” But the heart of Pharaoh was so hardened that he did not listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

16 Fourth Plague: The Flies.[au] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early tomorrow and present yourself to Pharaoh when he goes down to the water. You are to tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! 17 If you do not let my people go, then I will send flies[av] upon you, upon your ministers, upon your people, and upon your houses. The houses of Egypt will be filled with flies, and even the ground on which they stand will be filled with them. 18 But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen where my people live. There will be no flies there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land. 19 Thus I will establish a difference between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow.” ’ ”

20 This is what the Lord did. A huge swarm of flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, the houses of his ministers, and all over the land of Egypt. The area was devastated because of the flies.

21 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go and sacrifice to your God in the land.”

22 But Moses answered, “It would not work, for the sacrifice that we are going to make to the Lord, our God, is an abomination to the Egyptians. Could we perform a sacrifice that is an abomination to the Egyptians in their sight? Would they not stone us?[aw] 23 We will go into the desert, a three days’ journey, and that is where we will sacrifice to the Lord, our God, just as he has ordered us.”

24 So Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and you can sacrifice to the Lord in the desert. Only do not go too far and pray for me.”

25 Moses answered, “I will leave you and pray to the Lord. Tomorrow the flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his ministers, and from the people. Pharaoh, however, must not deceive us by not letting the people go to perform their sacrifice to the Lord.”

26 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 27 The Lord did as Moses said, and the flies departed from Pharaoh, from his ministers, and from his people. There was not even one left. 28 But Pharaoh became stubborn and once again would not let the people go.

Chapter 9

Fifth Plague: The Pestilence on Livestock. 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Let my people go so that they can serve me. 2 If you refuse to permit them to leave and you continue to hinder them, 3 the hand of the Lord will come upon your animals in the fields: upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, upon your herds and flocks, with a horrible plague. 4 But the Lord will distinguish between the animals of Israel and those of the Egyptians, so that none of those that belong to the children of Israel will die.” ’ ”

5 The Lord established the date saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will accomplish this thing in the land.”[ax] 6 The next day, the Lord accomplished this thing. All the animals in Egypt died, but the animals of the children of Israel did not die, not even one of them. 7 Pharaoh sent men to find out, and not one of the animals of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh remained hardened, and he would not let the people go.

Sixth Plague: The Boils.[ay] 8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Take two handfuls of ashes from the furnace. Moses is to throw them into the air in front of Pharaoh. 9 It will become a fine powder that will spread throughout the whole land and will produce running sores upon the people and the animals throughout the land of Egypt.” 10 They therefore took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw them into the air, and they produced running sores on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand in the presence of Moses because of the sores that had struck them as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened. He did not listen to them, as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

13 Seventh Plague: The Hail.[az] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and proclaim, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! 14 This time I will send all of my plagues against you, against your ministers, and against all your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me upon the whole earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plagues that would have wiped you off the face of the earth. 16 Instead, I let you live to show you my power and so that my name might be proclaimed all throughout the earth. 17 Will you still oppose my people and not let them leave? 18 Behold, I will send a terribly violent hail tomorrow at this time as has never been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until today. 19 Send word to gather your animals and whatever is in the field into a safe shelter. Hail will fall upon all the people and upon all the animals that are in open countryside and that have not been brought into shelter, and they will die.” ’ ”

20 Some of the ministers of Pharaoh feared the Lord and brought their slaves and their animals into shelter.[ba] 21 Others did not take the words of the Lord to heart, and they left their slaves and their animals in the open countryside.

22 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out toward the heavens. Let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon people, upon animals, and upon the plants of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 Moses stretched his staff toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord made hail rain down upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and lightning in the midst of the hail. The hail was so violent that nothing like it had ever been seen in the entire land of Egypt from the day it had become a nation. 25 The hail struck every person and animal that was in the open countryside throughout the land of Egypt. The hail also struck the plants in the field and splintered every tree in the open countryside. 26 Only the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, had no hail.

27 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty. 28 Pray to the Lord to stop the thunder and hail. I will let you leave. You need not stay any longer.” 29 Moses answered him, “When I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands toward the Lord. The thunder will cease, and the hail will end, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But as for you and your ministers, I know that you still do not fear the Lord God.”

31 The linen and barley was ruined, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was flowering. 32 But the wheat and the rye and the spelt were not harmed for they have a later season.

33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city. He extended his hand toward the Lord. The thunder and the hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down upon the land. 34 Pharaoh saw that the rain had stopped, as had the hail and the thunder, but he continued to sin and be stubborn, together with his ministers. 35 The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the children of Israel leave, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Chapter 10

Eighth Plague: The Locusts.[bb] 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his ministers so that I may perform these signs in their midst 2 and so that you can tell your sons and grandsons how I dealt with the Egyptians and the signs I worked in their midst so that they may know that I am the Lord.”

3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so that they may serve me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, behold, I will send locusts upon your land. 5 They will cover the entire country so that you cannot even see the soil. They will devour what is left, whatever survived the hail, and they will devour every tree that grows in your fields. 6 They will fill your house, the houses of all your ministers and the houses of all the Egyptians, so many that even your fathers never saw so many, nor the fathers of your fathers, from when they came into this land until today.’ ” He turned and left Pharaoh.

7 The ministers of Pharaoh said to him, “How long will he be a snare to us? Let this people go to serve the Lord, their God. Otherwise Egypt may be ruined.”

8 Moses and Aaron were summoned to Pharaoh who said to them, “Go, serve the Lord, your God. But who will leave with you?” 9 Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our animals and our flocks, so that we can celebrate a feast of the Lord.”

10 [bc]Pharaoh answered, “The Lord be with you, if I let you and your children leave. Clearly you have an evil project in mind. 11 No! Have only the men go with you and serve the Lord. That is what you want.” They then went out from Pharaoh.

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to send locusts. Let them come down upon the land of Egypt to eat every plant that the hail spared.” 13 Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind over the land all that day and all that night. By the morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 The locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt and settled on every part of the territory of Egypt. It was very serious, so bad that it had never been as bad before nor would it ever be as bad again in the future. 15 They covered the whole land so that the land was darkened. They devoured every plant in the land and every fruit tree that the hail had spared. Not a green leaf remained upon the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord, your God, and against you. 17 But now once again forgive my sin and pray to the Lord, your God, so that he may turn aside this death from me.”

18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 The Lord changed the direction of the wind and made a strong wind blow from the sea. It carried the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There was not one locust left in all the land of Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the children of Israel leave.

21 Ninth Plague: The Darkness.[bd] The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens. Darkness will come upon the land of Egypt, so dark that one can feel it.”

22 Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens. Darkness came upon the land of Egypt for three days. 23 People could not see each other, and for three days no one could move around. But there was light where the children of Israel were living.[be]

24 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Leave, and serve the Lord. Take your babies with you. Only leave your flocks and herds here.”

25 Moses answered, “You must also grant us sacrifices and burnt offerings that we will offer to the Lord, our God. 26 Our animals, too, must leave with us; not even a hoof will be left behind. We must choose the sacrificial victims that we will offer to the Lord, our God, from among them, and we will not know how to serve the Lord until we will have arrived in that place.” 27 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh who would not let them go. 28 Pharaoh therefore said to Moses, “Leave me! Make sure that you never see me again, for the next time you see my face, you will die.” 29 Moses said, “You have spoken well, for I will not see your face again.”

Chapter 11

Announcement of the Death of the Firstborn.[bf] 1 The Lord said to Moses, “I will send still another plague against Pharaoh and Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. He will let you leave without restrictions. In fact, he will chase you out.

2 “Therefore, tell the people that each man should ask from his neighbor and each woman should ask from her neighbor objects of silver and objects of gold.”

3 The Lord caused the people to find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moses, too, was a man who was highly regarded in the land of Egypt, both by the ministers of Pharaoh and by the people.

4 Moses then said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Around midnight I will go forth through Egypt. 5 Every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits upon the throne all the way to the firstborn of the slaves who work at the mill,[bg] even the firstborn of the animals. 6 A great lament will rise up in all the land of Egypt such as will never be repeated again. 7 But not even a dog will growl against the children of Israel, neither against humans nor animals, so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down in front of me saying, “May you and all the people who follow you leave.” After that I will leave.’ ”

Moses grew angry and left Pharaoh.

9 But the Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. Therefore, I will multiply my signs in the land of Egypt.”

10 Moses and Aaron did all these signs before Pharaoh, but the Lord had so hardened the heart of Pharaoh that he would not let the children of Israel leave his land.

The Passover

Chapter 12

Preparations for the Passover.[bh] 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it shall be your first month of the year.[bi] 3 Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, ‘The tenth of this month each person shall obtain a lamb for each family, one for each household. 4 If the family is too small to eat the lamb, they should join with their neighbors, based on the number of people. Figure the lamb according to how much each person can eat. 5 Your lamb should be without blemish,[bj] male, a year old. You can choose either a sheep or a goat. 6 Keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. Then the whole community of Israel shall slaughter it in the evening. 7 Take a bit of its blood, put it on the two doorposts and upon the lintel of every house in which it is to be eaten. 8 That night eat its meat roasted. Eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but only roasted with the head, legs, and inner organs. 10 Do not let any of it be kept until the morning. Whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned in the fire. 11 This is how you shall eat it, with your loins girt and sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand. Eat it quickly. It is the Passover[bk] of the Lord.

12 “ ‘On that night I will pass over the land of Egypt and strike the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both human and animal, to render justice against all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood on your houses shall be the sign that you are inside. I will see the blood and pass over. There shall be no plague for you when I strike the land of Egypt.

14 Preparations for the Unleavened Bread.[bl]“ ‘This day shall be a memorial for you. You shall celebrate it as a feast of the Lord. From generation to generation, let there be an ordinance that you celebrate this feast. 15 For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall dispose of all leaven from your house. Whoever eats leavened goods from the first day til the seventh shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a sacred assembly and another on the seventh day. On those days you shall not work. You shall only prepare what is to be eaten by everyone.

17 “ ‘You shall observe the custom of unleavened bread, for on this same day I brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt. You shall observe this day from generation to generation as an eternal ordinance. 18 In the first month, the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first of the month, in the evening. 19 For seven days leavened bread shall not be found in your house, for whoever eats leavened bread shall be cut off from the community of Israel, whether it be a foreigner or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat leavened bread; in all your houses you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

21 Celebration of the Passover. Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go and obtain a lamb for each family and slaughter it for the Passover.[bm] 22 Take a bunch of hyssop[bn] and dip it into the blood in the bowl and sprinkle the blood from the bowl on the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you shall go outside until the morning. 23 The Lord will pass over to strike the Egyptians. He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts. The Lord will, therefore, pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter into your house to strike anyone there.[bo]

24 “You shall observe this command as a fixed rite for yourselves and your children forever. 25 When you will have entered into the land that the Lord will give you, as he promised, you shall observe this rite. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this rite of yours mean,’ 27 you shall tell them, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Passover of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and spared our houses.’ ”

The people knelt down and worshiped. 28 Then the children of Israel went and did exactly what the Lord had ordered Moses and Aaron.

The Exodus from Egypt and the Journey to Sinai

Departure from Egypt

29 Tenth Plague: The Death of the Firstborn.[bp] At midnight the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat upon the throne to the firstborn of the prisoners being held in dungeons, all the firstborn, both human and animal. 30 Pharaoh got up during the night along with his ministers and all the Egyptians, and a loud cry arose out of Egypt, for every house had someone who had died.

31 Permission to Depart.[bq]Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, “Arise and leave my people, you and the children of Israel! Go and serve the Lord as you have said. 32 Take your herds and your flocks, as you have said, and leave. Bless me, too.”

33 The Egyptians urged on the people to drive them out of the land quickly, for they said, “We are all about to die.” 34 The people took their unleavened dough with them, placing their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The children of Israel carried out Moses’ order and had the Egyptians give them objects of silver and gold and clothes. 36 The Lord had inclined the Egyptians favorably toward the people so that they gave them whatever they requested. So, they plundered the Egyptians.

37 Departure from Egypt. The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. 38 There was also a large crowd of people of mixed ancestry with them, together with large numbers of flocks and herds. 39 They baked the dough that they had carried with them from Egypt as cakes of unleavened bread for it had not been leavened. They had been hurried out of Egypt and had not had time to hesitate nor to prepare provisions for the journey.

40 The children of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred and thirty years, exactly to the day, all the hosts of the Lord went up out of Egypt. 42 This was a night of vigil unto the Lord, for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. Hence, it must be a night of vigil in honor of the Lord for all the children of Israel, from one generation to the next.

43 Ordinances for the Passover.[br] The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the ordinances for the Passover:

“No foreigner may eat it. 44 As for each slave bought with money, you shall circumcise him so that he may eat it. 45 The foreigner and the hired laborer cannot eat it.

46 “It must be eaten in one house. One may not carry the meat outside of the house, and none of its bones is to be broken.[bs] 47 All the community of Israel shall celebrate it.

48 “If a foreigner dwells among you and wishes to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, let each man in his household be circumcised. Then let him draw near to celebrate and he will be like a native of the land. But no one who is uncircumcised can eat it. 49 The same law will be binding on the native and the foreigner who is living in your midst.”

50 All the children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 On that very day the Lord brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, organized according to their hosts.

Chapter 13

Sign and Memorial.[bt] 1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Consecrate each firstborn to me, whatever opens the womb in Israel, whether human or animal; it belongs to me.”

3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, your place of slavery. The Lord brought you out from there with a mighty hand. Therefore, do not eat what has been leavened. 4 This day you came out is in the month of Abib. 5 When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, that he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall celebrate this rite in this month.

6 “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh you shall celebrate a feast in honor of the Lord. 7 For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and there shall be nothing leavened with you. There shall be no leaven in all of your territory. 8 On that day you shall teach your son: ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when he brought me out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall be a sign on your hand and a memorial before your eyes so that the law of the Lord may be upon your lips. With a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.[bu] 10 You shall celebrate this rite at this time every year.

11 “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and he will have given it to you as a possession, 12 you shall dedicate each firstborn from the womb to the Lord. All male firstborn of your animals belong to the Lord. 13 You shall redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb.[bv] If you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. You shall redeem each firstborn son from among his brothers.

14 “When your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of this,’ you shall answer, ‘With a mighty arm the Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt, our place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let us go, the Lord slew the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human and animal. Because of this I sacrifice the firstborn male from every womb to the Lord, and I redeem the firstborn of my sons.’ 16 This shall be a sign on your hand and a memorial before your eyes, to remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”

The Lord Went before Them.[bw]

17 When Pharaoh let the people leave, God did not guide them on the road through the land of the Philistines, even though it was shorter, for God thought, “Otherwise the people, seeing they would have to fight, may change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 God guided the people along the desert road toward the Red Sea. The children of Israel, well armed, left the land of Egypt.

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph along with him, for Joseph had solemnly sworn the children of Israel, saying, “Surely God will come to visit you, and when he does you must carry away my bones.”

20 They left Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 The Lord went before them as a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them on their way, and as a column of fire during the night to give them light, so that they could travel day and night. 22 During the day the pillar of cloud never disappeared from the sight of the people, nor did the column of fire during the night.

Chapter 14

“I Will Display My Glory against Pharaoh.”[bx] 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Order the children of Israel to turn around and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon. You shall camp in front of it by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will think that the children of Israel are wandering through the land because the desert has blocked them in. 4 I shall harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will follow them. I will display my glory against Pharaoh and all his army, so that the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” This is what they did.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his ministers was turned against the people. They said, “What have we done in letting Israel leave so that they will no longer serve us?” 6 He prepared his chariot and took his soldiers with him.

7 Pharaoh took six hundred choice chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with warriors on each of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who then pursued the children of Israel while they were marching away in triumph. 9 The Egyptians followed and caught up with them while they were camped near the sea. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army were near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10 When Pharaoh approached, the children of Israel looked up and saw that the Egyptians were marching after them. The children of Israel were terrified and called upon the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out to the desert to die? Was it because there were not enough graves in Egypt? What have you done bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you in Egypt, ‘Let us stay here and serve the Egyptians?’ It is better for us to serve than for us to die in the desert?”

13 Moses answered, “Do not be afraid. Be strong, and you will see the salvation that the Lord will work for you today, for you will never again see the Egyptians that you see today. 14 The Lord will battle for you. Be calm!”

15 The Children of Israel Cross the Red Sea.[by] The Lord said to Moses, “Why do they cry out to me? Order the children of Israel to set out again. 16 You are to lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the children of Israel may pass through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 I will harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they will enter after them. I will display my glory against Pharaoh and all his army, against his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I display my glory against Pharaoh, against his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 The angel of God, who had gone in front of Israel’s camp, now moved and went in back of them. The pillar of cloud also moved from their front to their back. 20 They were, therefore, between the camps of the Egyptians and the children of Israel. The cloud was dark for the former group, while it lit up the night for the other. Thus, one group could not approach the other throughout the night.

21 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. During the night the Lord caused the sea to move back with a strong east wind, producing dry ground. The waters split in two. 22 The children of Israel entered the sea on dry land, while the waters formed a wall on their right and their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them with all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. They entered after them in the midst of the sea. 24 Just before dawn the Lord of the column of fire and cloud looked upon the camp of the Egyptians and threw them into confusion. 25 He clogged the wheels of their chariots so that they could hardly move. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the children of Israel for the Lord is fighting with them against the Egyptians.”

26 The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea. The waters will flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their horsemen.”

27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were fleeing right into it, the Lord overthrew them in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and the horsemen of the whole army of Pharaoh. Not a single one of those who had entered the sea to follow the children of Israel escaped.

29 The children of Israel had walked in the midst of the sea on dry land, the water forming walls on the right and the left. 30 On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shores of the sea. 31 Israel saw the mighty hand that the Lord had extended against Egypt. The people feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Chapter 15

The Song of Moses and Miriam.[bz] 1 Moses and the children of Israel therefore sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing in honor of the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant,
    horse and horseman he has cast into the sea.
2 My strength and my song is the Lord,
    for he has saved me.
He is my God, and I wish to praise him,
    the God of my father, and I wish to exalt him.
3 “The Lord is a warrior,
    Lord is his name.
4 He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea.
    His choice troops were drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The depths covered them
    and they sank like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in its power.
    Your right hand, O Lord, has destroyed the enemy.
7 With the greatness of your majesty you have overthrown those who rose up against you.
    You sent forth your anger and it devoured them like straw.
8 At the breath of your nostrils, the waters piled up.
    The flood waters piled up and stood like a mound;
    the deep waters congealed in the midst of the sea.
9 “The enemy had said, ‘I will pursue and overtake them.
    I will divide the spoil, and my passion will be satisfied on them.
    I will draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.’
10 You blew your wind, and the sea covered them.
    Like lead they sank in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in praise, doing wonders?
12 You extended your right hand
    and the earth swallowed them.
13 “In your mercy you guided the people you had redeemed.
    You guided them with strength to your holy dwelling.
14 The people will hear and be afraid.
    Anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 The leaders of Edom tremble,
    the mighty ones of Moab are gripped with fear,
    all the inhabitants of Canaan melt away.
16 Fear and terror fall upon them.
    The greatness of your arm makes them still as stone,
    until your people have passed over, O Lord,
    until your people whom you have acquired have passed over.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
    on the mountain of your inheritance,
    in the place that you have prepared for your dwelling, O Lord,
    the sanctuary that your own hands have founded.
18 The Lord reigns forever and ever.”

19 When the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back upon them, while the children of Israel walked through the midst of the sea on dry ground. 20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the other women came out after her playing their tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam led them in the refrain:

“Sing to the Lord for he is wondrously triumphant;
    horse and horsemen he has cast into the sea.”

The Journey through the Wilderness[ca]

22 The Waters of Marah and Elim. Moses led the children of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they traveled toward the Desert of Shur. They walked three days into the desert and they did not find water. 23 They arrived at Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter. That is why the place was called Marah.[cb] 24 So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What will we drink?” 25 He called upon the Lord, who showed him a tree. When he cast it into the water, it became sweet.

The Lord made a statute and an ordinance for them there and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and you do what is right in his sight, if you listen to his ordinances and observe all of his laws, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

27 Then they arrived at Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. Here they camped near the waters.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 1:1 In this section, the Bible counterposes two peoples—the people of Pharaoh, who are cruel and oppressive, and the children of Israel, who are sorely oppressed. However, the more the latter are oppressed, the stronger they become. In their struggle to leave Egypt, the children of Israel will slowly become aware that they are a people chosen by God and set free to carry out an important task.
    In carefully planning and preparing the salvation of the whole human race, the God of supreme love, by a special dispensation, chose for himself a people to whom he might entrust his promises. First, he entered into a Covenant with Abraham (see Gen 15:18) and, through Moses, with the people of Israel (see Ex 24:8). To this people that he acquired for himself, he so manifested himself through words and deeds as the one true and living God that Israel came to know by experience the ways of God with human beings, and with God himself speaking to them through the mouth of the Prophets, Israel daily gained a deeper and clearer understanding of his ways and made them more widely known among the nations (see Pss 22:28-29; 96:1-3; Isa 2:1-4; Jer 3:17).
  2. Exodus 1:1 Scholars calculate that about three centuries separated the death of Joseph, with which Genesis ends, and the Exodus of the Hebrew people. From this lengthy period the Bible singles out only two facts that are important for linking the past with the coming religious history of Israel.
  3. Exodus 1:1 The children of Israel flourish in Egypt, fulfilling the promise God had made to the Patriarchs (Gen 12; 17; etc.). They lived in Egypt 430 years (see Ex 12:40). We pass from the story of the great ancestors to that of a people.
  4. Exodus 1:2 The sons of Jacob are given here according to their respective mothers (see Gen 29:31; 30:20; 35:16-26).
  5. Exodus 1:5 Seventy: Gen 46:27; Deut 10:22 have the same number. The Greek translation, however, and a manuscript from Qumran have “seventy-five,” as does Acts 7:14. The extra five persons are the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh; they are mentioned in the Greek translation of Gen 46:27.
  6. Exodus 1:6 Scholars estimate that it was more than 200 years from the death of Joseph to the advent of the new king.
  7. Exodus 1:8 The Pharaoh, probably Rameses II (1298–1232 B.C.), becomes worried when he sees the proliferation of the Hebrews and takes various measures to exterminate this race and doubtless other Asiatic populations. The children of Israel who left Egypt are said to number 600,000, “not including children” (Ex 12:37). Works of the kind that the Hebrews are compelled to do are illustrated in Egyptian paintings of that period, even if these do not picture actual groups of the Patriarchs’ descendants.
  8. Exodus 1:11 Supply cities is a military term (see 1 Ki 9:19). Pithom and Rameses are in the eastern part of the Nile Delta; Rameses is identified with either Tanis or El Qantara. Pharaoh: a royal title rather than a personal name.
  9. Exodus 2:1 In an account filled with charm, the narrator is pleased to show that God toys with obstacles and makes them serve his plan of salvation. The education in letters that Moses receives from the Egyptian court will be a great help in his mission.
  10. Exodus 2:4 The baby’s sister: i.e., Miriam (see Ex 15:21).
  11. Exodus 2:10 Assonance links Mosheh, the Hebrew form of Moses, and the verb mashah, “to draw out.”
  12. Exodus 2:11 Endangered by his defense of the children of his race, Moses is fearful and flees to the wilderness east of the Gulf of Aqaba. This episode prepares him for the difficulties to come (see Ex 18).
  13. Exodus 2:11 Moses, having grown up: according to Acts 7:23, almost forty years had now passed (see Ex 7:7).
  14. Exodus 2:15 Midian, which was south of Edom and east of the Gulf of Aqaba or Gulf of Elana, was inhabited by nomadic tribes.
  15. Exodus 2:18 It was perhaps different traditions that gave Moses’ father-in-law different names: Reuel (here and in Num 10:29); Jethro (Ex 3:1; 4:18; 18:1). Hobab seems to be rather Moses’ brother-in-law (Num 10:29; Jdg 4:11). The Hebrew terms for degrees of kinship do not have a very precise meaning.
  16. Exodus 2:22 Some Greek and Latin MSS add here a passage apparently from Ex 18:4: “and the other [son] named Eliezer, for he had said, ‘The God of my father has come to my assistance and has freed me from the sword of Pharaoh.’ ”
  17. Exodus 2:23 God remembers his Covenant. Such will also be the case in all the moments when Israel will find itself in distress. Covenant with Abraham: see Gen 15:17-18; 17:7. With Isaac: see Gen 17:19; 26:24. With Jacob: see Gen 35:11-12.
  18. Exodus 3:1 This grand text has always appealed to the most religious Jews and Christians. To those who strive to deepen their sense of their existence before God, the flaming fire and the Divine Name reveal the extent to which the Lord surpasses all that he has created but also how his love brings him close to human beings in order to lead them toward their destiny.
  19. Exodus 3:1 It is when Moses least expects it that he is called by God. The mystery of the fire that burns without being consumed astounds him. It is then that he discovers the sign of the presence and the devouring love of the Lord who so surpasses the creature that the latter feels crushed. But God keeps himself present in human history. Resolved to deliver his people, he chooses to have need of a man in order to manifest the divine power by giving him a mission to complete that is beyond human powers. History is about to take a new turn.
  20. Exodus 3:1 Horeb: i.e., another name for “Sinai.”
  21. Exodus 3:2 Angel of the Lord: an expression that signifies God himself (see Gen 16:7).
  22. Exodus 3:6 Moses’ action is based on the long held belief that no one can see God and live (see Gen 32:30).
  23. Exodus 3:8 Land flowing with milk and honey: an expression used by Eastern peoples to signify fertility (the terms are taken from the world of shepherds); the Pentateuch often uses the phrase to mean the Promised Land.
  24. Exodus 3:13 In Semitic thought, for a person to reveal his name to someone was equivalent to putting himself in that person’s power. When the Lord of Israel describes himself as “He who is” (Yahweh), as the One who is there for his people, he is refusing to manifest himself completely, while at the same time revealing himself to be the living God who is always present in the midst of his people and involved with them. In the same way, Jesus will reassure his Apostles at the time of his leaving them: “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20).
  25. Exodus 3:14 I am who I am: later, as a show of awe and respect, the title Adonai, “my Lord,” would be used.
  26. Exodus 3:16 Moses, entrusted with his mission, is to announce that God is preparing to have his people leave Egypt despite Pharaoh’s refusal to let them go.
  27. Exodus 3:16 Appeared to me: to the Israelites this means that Moses has received special recognition from the Lord and his words are to be heeded. Elders: a title given to those who traditionally spoke for the children of Israel.
  28. Exodus 4:1 The Lord gives his help to those whom he sends to testify in his name. With the coming of Aaron on the scene, the work of the priestly line is inaugurated.
  29. Exodus 4:6 Moses is given a staff and leprous hand from God as visible evidence to show Pharaoh that he was from God.
  30. Exodus 4:14 This verse indicates one of the functions of Aaron as priest.
  31. Exodus 4:18 Moses returns to Egypt, and it is obvious that Pharaoh’s obstinacy must be overcome, an obstinacy that the author—in keeping with the ancient mentality—attributes to God without occupying himself about human liberty. It is thus a way of saying that the Lord arranges events to bring about his plan.
  32. Exodus 4:24 The Lord came and tried to kill Moses: the reference may be to an incident similar to that described in Gen 32:25-33. Moses’ wife circumcises the boy and with his foreskin “touches [the] feet” (i.e., the genitals) of Moses. This seems intended as a rite that replaces circumcision, which Moses had not undergone. Spouse of blood: perhaps signifies “protected by the blood.”
  33. Exodus 4:27 Moses makes contact with his people and awakens in them the hope of liberation.
  34. Exodus 5:1 The first meeting with Pharaoh results in a worsening of conditions for the enslaved Israelites. This result might seem to be a failure of the divine plan, but several interventions will be needed to advance the plan.
  35. Exodus 5:6 Taskmasters . . . overseers: the former were Egyptians with authority over the Israelites; the latter were most likely appointed by the Israelites themselves.
  36. Exodus 5:7 Straw was mixed with clay to give greater cohesiveness to the unbaked bricks.
  37. Exodus 6:2 The passage is from a Priestly tradition and dwells on the point that Moses and Aaron belong to the priestly family. After the doubt expressed in Ex 5:22, the redactor of the Book of Exodus seeks to reaffirm that Moses remains the chosen one of God to save his people.
  38. Exodus 6:6 Outstretched arm: this expression, like “mighty hand” in verse 1, suggests the power with which God intervenes.
  39. Exodus 6:9 Moses’ words of encouragement fell on deaf ears. As the conditions of the children of Israel worsened, their spirits were crushed.
  40. Exodus 7:1 A prophet is one who speaks in the name of another (here: Moses).
  41. Exodus 7:8 Bits from various traditions are skillfully combined to show the gradual hardening of Pharaoh and the increasing misfortunes that this brings upon Egypt. The ten “plagues” have for their purpose to show the character of the God in whose name Moses bids Pharaoh to release the Hebrews, but whom the proud “son of the sun” claims he does not know (Ex 5:2). This God is mightier than all the magicians of Egypt; he can command every creature, and his power extends not only to Israel but to the land of the Nile and its inhabitants.

    8 
    These very colorful narratives profile the struggle between the Lord and the forces of evil. Pharaoh personifies the human freedom that is opposed to the divine plan but that God makes use of to realize his plan. We should not be surprised that tradition has systematized and amplified these events to better manifest the greatness and power of the Lord.

  42. Exodus 7:14 Moses appears as a prophet; he is the Lord’s spokesperson.
  43. Exodus 7:22 God allowed the magicians to imitate Moses who turned the Nile into blood, but did not have the power to reverse the miracle (i.e., change the blood into water).
  44. Exodus 7:26 The power of the God of Israel begins to impress Pharaoh.
  45. Exodus 8:12 For the first time, the magicians cannot compete with the Lord and recognize his presence.
  46. Exodus 8:12 Gnats, flies: the type of bothersome insects that caused so much distress is not certain.
  47. Exodus 8:16 The power of God becomes more evident from the fact that he preserves Israel from the plague that he inflicts upon the Egyptians.
  48. Exodus 8:17 Gnats, flies: the type of bothersome insects that caused so much distress is not certain.
  49. Exodus 8:22 The Egyptians would not have endured seeing the Hebrews sacrifice animals that they, the Egyptians, regarded as sacred.
  50. Exodus 9:5 God personally performs the miracle without Moses or Aaron or any staff. This should have been a persuasive event for Pharaoh to change his heart but he remains hardened.
  51. Exodus 9:8 This time the magicians are eliminated not without humor: in their turn they are victims of the wonder worked by Moses.
  52. Exodus 9:13 The God of Israel wants to be recognized and served as Lord of the whole earth. Pharaoh acknowledges his sin but his heart remains unchanged.
  53. Exodus 9:20 Some of Pharaoh’s ministers acknowledge the power of God and take action to protect their slaves and animals from the predicted hail storm.
  54. Exodus 10:1 By remaining obstinate, Pharaoh furnishes God with the occasion to multiply his wonders and show that he is really the Lord.
  55. Exodus 10:10 Pharaoh does not trust the Hebrews and wants to keep the women and children in Egypt as hostages.
  56. Exodus 10:21 Is this the rupture between Moses and Pharaoh? All Moses’ warnings have remained without effect.
  57. Exodus 10:23 The Israelites were spared the destructive effects of the plagues, whereas the Egyptians had a foretaste of what hell is like. We have the assurance of God’s faithfulness to those who remain faithful to God (see Deut 7:6).
  58. Exodus 11:1 This decisive blow to Pharaoh will result in his expelling Israel.
  59. Exodus 11:5 The female slave at the mill was assigned to operate the mill in the house. Even the firstborn of the animals: because these, like the firstborn of humans, were firstfruits belonging to the divinity; see Ex 13:2.
  60. Exodus 12:1 Passover was already being celebrated in the period when the Hebrews were pastoral nomads and used to offer the firstfruits of the flock. The blood poured on the posts of the tent was to protect those living in it. Once this ancient spring festival was connected with the departure from Egypt, it would commemorate the deliverance effected by God.
    The Passover was essentially sacrificial from the beginning. Added to this was the meal (v. 11) and the urgency in which it was to be held because of the circumstances it commemorated: there is no time for seasoning anything (v. 9); neither is any other food to be eaten with it except for the bread and desert herbs; and the people are to be in traveling dress—standing, wearing sandals, and holding a staff—indicating that they are on a journey to the true Promised Land.
    Jesus chose to institute the Eucharist in the context of the Passover meal and to be crucified during Passover. He thus becomes the true Passover lamb, whose blood is shed for the salvation of all humankind.
  61. Exodus 12:2 This is the month of Abib, of the ripe ears of corn (see Ex 13:4). It would later be called Nisan (March-April).
  62. Exodus 12:5 The words without blemish are translated as absgue macula (spotless) in the Vulgate; hence the widely used expression “spotless Lamb” for Jesus, the Passover lamb prefigured by the Jewish practice.
  63. Exodus 12:11 Passover: Hebrew, pesah, “passage”; that is, the Lord passed by, leaving untouched the houses marked with blood. The etymology of the Hebrew word is disputed.
  64. Exodus 12:14 The Feast of Unleavened Bread was an agricultural feast at which the new harvest was dedicated to the divinity. When the Hebrews settled in Canaan, they adopted this feast and amalgamated it with Passover. The biblical tradition connects it with the Exodus of the Hebrew people; therefore, it finds a place in this book, where it has become a pure commemoration.
  65. Exodus 12:21 The reference is to the Passover lamb (Mt 26:17; 1 Cor 5:7)
  66. Exodus 12:22 Hyssop: was an aromatic plant used in purification rites.
  67. Exodus 12:23 The destroying angel, charged with inflicting punishment; see 1 Cor 10:10; Heb 11:28.
  68. Exodus 12:29 This time Egypt cannot remain indifferent to the misfortune that has come upon it.
  69. Exodus 12:31 This is the memorable night during which the Lord kept watch in order to deliver his people from slavery. With a view to magnifying the divine intervention, Israelite piety obviously exaggerated the numbers involved; historical fact has been transformed into liturgical story. For Christians, the Easter vigil will sing of the deliverance brought by Christ.
  70. Exodus 12:43 The traditional ritual (vv. 1-14) is supplemented by further arrangements that suppose the Hebrews to be already settled in Canaan.
  71. Exodus 12:46 This detail of the rite is fulfilled in Jesus: Jn 19:36.
  72. Exodus 13:1 The practice of offering the firstborn to God and of eating unleavened bread soon provided Israel with an opportunity of passing on to later generations the religious lesson learned from the events: namely, that what God did in the beginning he continues to do for his people.
  73. Exodus 13:9 Sign and memorial were understood in a material way. See Deut 6:8; 11:18; Mt 23:5 on the phylacteries worn on forehead or arm.
  74. Exodus 13:13 A donkey could not be offered in sacrifice (see Ex 34:19-20).
  75. Exodus 13:16 As he had promised, God led his people along the road of freedom. The account also seeks to explain why Israel had to journey for so many years in the desert. They do not follow the way of the sea, parallel to the road leading through Sile (modern El Qantara), along which there were wells and Egyptian forts; instead they travel the caravan route through the Sinai.
  76. Exodus 14:1 As the Master of history, the Lord makes use of even his enemies to accomplish his plan of salvation.
  77. Exodus 14:15 At last, the chosen people throw off their bondage by traversing the waters on dry feet thanks to God who fights for them. Israel could do no less than acknowledge its liberator. God wrests his people from the imminent catastrophe. Tradition seized upon this event and multiplied and exaggerated its details in order to magnify a feat that gave glory to God. History has become epic.
  78. Exodus 15:1 Although this hymn is here put into the mouth of the leader, it shows the extent to which the biblical poets were determined to magnify the wonders that accompanied the crossing of the Red Sea (see Ps 106:9; Wis 19:6-9). The refrain attributed to Miriam, Moses’ sister (Ex 15:21), may be regarded as the seed out of which the poem grew; it was later expanded (vv. 4-5, 8) and subsequently completed, for the song also in fact extols the journey to the Promised Land (vv. 13-16) and the building of the Temple (v. 17), both of which were other signs of God’s merciful presence in the midst of his people.
  79. Exodus 15:22 The Hebrews journey through a desolate and hostile land that puts them in a sullen mood. God does not cease to multiply benefits in their favor. They thus represent the Church, the New People of God, who pursues her terrestrial march sustained by the Lord despite the failings of his children. It is in this long passage that the unity of Israel is forged and that it acquires its fundamental religious conceptions.
  80. Exodus 15:23 The Hebrew word mar means “bitter,” “bitterness” (see Ru 1:20).
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Exodus 1-10
New International Version

The Israelites Oppressed

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel(A) who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.(B) 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[a] in all;(C) Joseph was already in Egypt.

6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,(D) 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers(E) and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.(F) 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous(G) for us.(H) 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly(I) with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”(J)

11 So they put slave masters(K) over them to oppress them with forced labor,(L) and they built Pithom and Rameses(M) as store cities(N) for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly.(O) 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor(P) in brick(Q) and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.(R)

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,(S) whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”(T) 17 The midwives, however, feared(U) God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;(V) they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”(W)

20 So God was kind to the midwives(X) and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared(Y) God, he gave them families(Z) of their own.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile,(AA) but let every girl live.”(AB)

The Birth of Moses

2 Now a man of the tribe of Levi(AC) married a Levite woman,(AD) 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine(AE) child, she hid him for three months.(AF) 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus(AG) basket[b] for him and coated it with tar and pitch.(AH) Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds(AI) along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister(AJ) stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank.(AK) She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named(AL) him Moses,[c] saying, “I drew(AM) him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people(AN) were and watched them at their hard labor.(AO) 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?”(AP)

14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?(AQ) 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(AR) Moses, but Moses fled(AS) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,(AT) where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian(AU) had seven daughters, and they came to draw water(AV) and fill the troughs(AW) to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue(AX) and watered their flock.(AY)

18 When the girls returned to Reuel(AZ) their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”(BA)

21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah(BB) to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,[d](BC) saying, “I have become a foreigner(BD) in a foreign land.”

23 During that long period,(BE) the king of Egypt died.(BF) The Israelites groaned in their slavery(BG) and cried out, and their cry(BH) for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered(BI) his covenant(BJ) with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned(BK) about them.

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro(BL) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,(BM) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,(BN) the mountain(BO) of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord(BP) appeared to him in flames of fire(BQ) from within a bush.(BR) 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(BS) to him from within the bush,(BT) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”(BU)

5 “Do not come any closer,”(BV) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”(BW) 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[e] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”(BX) At this, Moses hid(BY) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.(BZ)

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen(CA) the misery(CB) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned(CC) about their suffering.(CD) 8 So I have come down(CE) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,(CF) a land flowing with milk and honey(CG)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites(CH) and Jebusites.(CI) 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing(CJ) them. 10 So now, go. I am sending(CK) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”(CL)

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

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

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?’(CQ) Then what shall I tell them?”

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

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[h] the God of your fathers(CS)—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(CT)—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name(CU) forever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.(CV)

16 “Go, assemble the elders(CW) of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob(CX)—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen(CY) what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt(CZ) into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’(DA)

18 “The elders of Israel will listen(DB) 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,(DC) has met(DD) with us. Let us take a three-day journey(DE) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(DF) to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand(DG) compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand(DH) and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders(DI) that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.(DJ)

21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed(DK) toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.(DL) 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver(DM) and gold(DN) and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder(DO) the Egyptians.”(DP)

Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen(DQ) 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,”(DR) he replied.

3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,(DS) 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(DT) 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[i]—it had become as white as snow.(DU)

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,(DV) like the rest of his flesh.

8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe(DW) you or pay attention to the first sign,(DX) 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(DY) 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.”(DZ)

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute?(EA) Who gives them sight or makes them blind?(EB) Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go;(EC) I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”(ED)

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”(EE)

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned(EF) 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(EG) you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;(EH) 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(EI) and as if you were God to him.(EJ) 17 But take this staff(EK) in your hand(EL) so you can perform the signs(EM) 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(EN) you are dead.(EO)” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons,(EP) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff(EQ) 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(ER) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart(ES) so that he will not let the people go.(ET) 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,(EU) 23 and I told you, “Let my son go,(EV) so he may worship(EW) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”(EX)

24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses[j] and was about to kill(EY) him. 25 But Zipporah(EZ) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin(FA) and touched Moses’ feet with it.[k] “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(FB) of God and kissed(FC) 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(FD) of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs(FE) before the people, 31 and they believed.(FF) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned(FG) about them and had seen their misery,(FH) they bowed down and worshiped.(FI)

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,(FJ) so that they may hold a festival(FK) to me in the wilderness.’”

2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,(FL) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”(FM)

3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey(FN) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues(FO) or with the sword.”

4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?(FP) Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,(FQ) and you are stopping them from working.”

6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers(FR) and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;(FS) 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.(FT) They are lazy;(FU) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’(FV) 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

10 Then the slave drivers(FW) 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(FX) 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,(FY) 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!(FZ) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work.(GA) 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(GB) you! You have made us obnoxious(GC) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword(GD) in their hand to kill us.”(GE)

God Promises Deliverance

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(GF) 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(GG) 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(GH) he will let them go;(GI) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(GJ)

2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(GK) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[l](GL) but by my name(GM) the Lord[m](GN) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(GO) with them to give them the land(GP) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(GQ) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(GR) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(GS)

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(GT) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(GU) you with an outstretched arm(GV) and with mighty acts of judgment.(GW) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(GX) Then you will know(GY) 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(GZ) I swore(HA) with uplifted hand(HB) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(HC) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(HD)

9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.(HE)

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell(HF) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”(HG)

12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen(HH) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[n]?”(HI)

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.(HJ)

14 These were the heads of their families[o]:(HK)

The sons of Reuben(HL) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon(HM) 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(HN) according to their records: Gershon,(HO) Kohath and Merari.(HP) Levi lived 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(HQ)

18 The sons of Kohath(HR) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(HS) Kohath lived 133 years.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(HT)

These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

20 Amram(HU) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(HV) Amram lived 137 years.

21 The sons of Izhar(HW) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(HX) and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(HY) and sister of Nahshon,(HZ) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(IA) Eleazar(IB) and Ithamar.(IC)

24 The sons of Korah(ID) 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.(IE)

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(IF) by their divisions.”(IG) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(IH) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(II)

Aaron to Speak for Moses

28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord.(IJ) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,(IK) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God(IL) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.(IM) 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,(IN) and though I multiply my signs and wonders(IO) in Egypt, 4 he will not listen(IP) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment(IQ) I will bring out my divisions,(IR) my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(IS) when I stretch out my hand(IT) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded(IU) them. 7 Moses was eighty years old(IV) 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,(IW)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”(IX)

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,(IY) and the Egyptian magicians(IZ) also did the same things by their secret arts:(JA) 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(JB) became hard and he would not listen(JC) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;(JD) he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.(JE) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,(JF) 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(JG) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.(JH) 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:(JI) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.(JJ) 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;(JK) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”(JL)

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff(JM) and stretch out your hand(JN) 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[p] of wood and stone.”

20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.(JO) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,(JP) and all the water was changed into blood.(JQ) 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(JR) did the same things by their secret arts,(JS) and Pharaoh’s heart(JT) 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(JU), 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 [q]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(JV) me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs(JW) 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,(JX) and into your ovens and kneading troughs.(JY) 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(JZ) over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs(KA) come up on the land of Egypt.’”

6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs(KB) came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts;(KC) they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray(KD) to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices(KE) to the Lord.”

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time(KF) 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.(KG) 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.(KH) 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,(KI) he hardened his heart(KJ) 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(KK) 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(KL) came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians(KM) tried to produce gnats by their secret arts,(KN) they could not.

Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger(KO) of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart(KP) was hard and he would not listen,(KQ) just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Flies

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning(KR) 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(KS) 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,(KT) where my people live;(KU) no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know(KV) that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction[r] between my people and your people.(KW) 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.(KX)

25 Then Pharaoh summoned(KY) 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.(KZ) And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey(LA) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(LB) 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(LC) 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(LD) again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,(LE) 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(LF) 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(LG) me.” 2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3 the hand(LH) of the Lord will bring a terrible plague(LI) on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt,(LJ) so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”

5 The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock(LK) of the Egyptians died,(LL) but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart(LM) was unyielding and he would not let the people go.(LN)

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils(LO) will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. 11 The magicians(LP) could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart(LQ) and he would not listen(LR) to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

The Plague of Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront 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(LS) me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know(LT) that there is no one like(LU) me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people(LV) with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up[s] for this very purpose,(LW) that I might show you my power(LX) and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm(LY) that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.(LZ) 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”

20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared(MA) the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored(MB) the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder(MC) and hail,(MD) and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.(ME) 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.(MF) 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen,(MG) where the Israelites were.(MH)

27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,”(MI) he said to them. “The Lord is in the right,(MJ) and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray(MK) to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go;(ML) you don’t have to stay any longer.”

29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands(MM) in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth(MN) is the Lord’s. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear(MO) the Lord God.”

31 (The flax and barley(MP) were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt,(MQ) however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart(MR) was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart(MS) and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs(MT) of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children(MU) and grandchildren how I dealt harshly(MV) with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”(MW)

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble(MX) yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 4 If you refuse(MY) to let them go, I will bring locusts(MZ) into your country tomorrow. 5 They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left(NA) after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.(NB)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 1:5 Masoretic Text (see also Gen. 46:27); Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14 and note at Gen. 46:27) seventy-five
  2. Exodus 2:3 The Hebrew can also mean ark, as in Gen. 6:14.
  3. Exodus 2:10 Moses sounds like the Hebrew for draw out.
  4. Exodus 2:22 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
  5. Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
  6. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
  7. Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
  8. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for Lord sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
  9. Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  10. Exodus 4:24 Hebrew him
  11. Exodus 4:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  12. Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  13. Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
  14. Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
  15. Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
  16. Exodus 7:19 Or even on their idols
  17. Exodus 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-4 is numbered 7:26-29, and 8:5-32 is numbered 8:1-28.
  18. Exodus 8:23 Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew will put a deliverance
  19. Exodus 9:16 Or have spared you
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