上帝应许拯救以色列人

耶和华对摩西说:“你就要看见我怎样用大能的手对付法老,那时他会让以色列人走,甚至把他们赶出埃及!” 上帝又对摩西说:“我是耶和华, 我曾以全能上帝的身份向亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各显现,但没有让他们知道我的名字是耶和华。 我向他们坚守所立的约,要把他们寄居的迦南赐给他们。 我已听见以色列人因受埃及人的奴役而发出的呼求,也想起了我的约。 所以,你要转告以色列人说,‘我是耶和华。我要伸出臂膀重重地惩罚埃及,救赎你们脱离埃及人的辖制,脱离他们的奴役。 我要接纳你们做我的子民,我要做你们的上帝。这样,你们就知道我是你们的上帝耶和华,曾救你们脱离埃及人的辖制。 我必带领你们进入我举手起誓要给亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的那片土地,把它赐给你们作产业。我是耶和华。’”

摩西把这番话转告百姓,可是他们因为残酷的劳役无比沮丧,不肯听他的话。 10 耶和华对摩西说: 11 “你再去见法老,要他让以色列人离开他的土地。” 12 摩西却说:“以色列人都不听我的话,法老又怎么肯听我这拙口笨舌的人呢?” 13 耶和华吩咐摩西和亚伦回到以色列人和法老那里,要他们领以色列人离开埃及。

摩西和亚伦的族谱

14 以下是以色列各宗族族长的名字:

以色列长子吕便的儿子是哈诺、法路、希斯仑和迦米。这些是吕便的宗族。

15 西缅的儿子是耶姆利、雅悯、阿辖、雅斤、琐辖和扫罗,扫罗的母亲是迦南人。这些是西缅的各宗族。

16 利未的儿子依次是革顺、哥辖和米拉利,利未享年一百三十七岁。 17 革顺的儿子是立尼和示每,二人各成宗族。 18 哥辖的儿子是暗兰、以斯哈、希伯仑和乌薛,哥辖享年一百三十三岁。 19 米拉利的儿子是抹利和姆示。这些是利未的各宗族。 20 暗兰娶了他父亲的妹妹约基别,生了亚伦和摩西,暗兰享年一百三十七岁。 21 哥辖另一个儿子以斯哈生了可拉、尼斐和细基利。 22 乌薛的儿子是米沙利、以利撒反和西提利。 23 亚伦与亚米拿达的女儿、拿顺的妹妹以利沙巴结婚,生了拿答、亚比户、以利亚撒和以他玛。 24 可拉的儿子是亚惜、以利加拿和亚比亚撒,这些是可拉的各宗族。 25 亚伦的儿子以利亚撒与普铁的一个女儿结婚,生了非尼哈。以上是利未各宗族的族长。

26 正是亚伦和摩西受耶和华之命,要按以色列人的宗族支派把他们带出埃及。 27 也是这二人要求埃及王法老让他们把以色列人带出埃及。 28 那时,耶和华曾经在埃及对摩西说: 29 “我是耶和华,你要把我吩咐你的一切话告诉埃及王法老。” 30 摩西却对耶和华说:“你看,我拙口笨舌,法老怎肯听我的话?”

But the Lord replied to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: because of a strong hand he will let them go, and because of a strong hand he will drive them from his land.’(A)

God Promises Freedom

Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, ‘I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’[a](B) I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners.(C) Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered(D) my covenant.

‘Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labour of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm(E) and great acts of judgement. I will take you as my people,(F) and I will be your God. You will know(G) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labour of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore[b](H) to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen(I) to him because of their broken spirit and hard labour.

10 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 11 ‘Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go from his land.’

12 But Moses said in the Lord’s presence, ‘If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker? ’[c](J) 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ families:

The sons of Reuben,(K) the firstborn of Israel:

Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

These are the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon:(L)

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin,

Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

These are the clans of Simeon.

16 These are the names of the sons of Levi

according to their family records;

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.(M)

Levi lived for 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon:

Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

18 The sons of Kohath:

Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

Kohath lived for 133 years.

19 The sons of Merari:

Mahli and Mushi.

These are the clans of the Levites(N)

according to their family records.

20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed,

and she bore him Aaron and Moses.(O)

Amram lived for 137 years.

21 The sons of Izhar:(P)

Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 The sons of Uzziel:

Mishael, Elzaphan,(Q) and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba,

daughter of Amminadab(R) and sister of Nahshon.

She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.(S)

24 The sons of Korah:(T)

Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph.

These are the clans of the Korahites.

25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married

one of the daughters of Putiel,

and she bore him Phinehas.(U)

These are the heads of the Levite families by their clans.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses whom the Lord told, ‘Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.’(V) 27 Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

28 On the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 he said to him, ‘I am the Lord;(W) tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I am telling you.’

30 But Moses replied in the Lord’s presence, ‘Since I am such a poor speaker,(X) how will Pharaoh listen to me? ’

Footnotes

  1. 6:3 Lord (in small capitals) stands for the personal name of God, which in Hb is Yahweh. There is a long tradition of substituting ‘Lord’ for ‘Yahweh’ out of reverence.
  2. 6:8 Lit raised my hand
  3. 6:12 Lit I have uncircumcised lips, also in v. 30