¹⁷ “But as the ^(A)time of the promise which God had assured to Abraham was approaching, ^(B)the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, ¹⁸ until ^(C)another king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹ It was he who ^(D)shrewdly took advantage of our nation and mistreated our fathers in order that they would ^(E)abandon their infants in the Nile, so that they would not survive. ²⁰ At this time ^(F)Moses was born; and he was beautiful to God. He was nurtured for three months in his father’s home. ²¹ And after he had been put outside, ^(G)Pharaoh’s daughter ^[a]took him away and nurtured him as her own son. ²² Moses was educated in all ^(H)the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in ^[b]speaking and action. ²³ But when he was approaching the age of forty, ^(I)it entered his ^[c]mind to visit his countrymen, the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended and took vengeance for the oppressed man by fatally striking the Egyptian. ²⁵ And he thought that his brothers understood that God was granting them ^[d]deliverance ^[e]through him; but they did not understand. ^26 (J)And on the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them to peace, by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you injuring each other?’ ²⁷ But the one who was injuring his neighbor pushed him away, saying, ‘^(K)Who made you a ruler and judge over us? ^28 (L)You do not intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’ ²⁹ At this remark, ^(M)Moses fled and became a stranger in the land of ^[f]Midian, where he ^(N)fathered two sons.

³⁰ “After forty years had passed, ^(O)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush. ³¹ When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came: ³² ‘^(P)I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with fear and did not dare to look closely. ^33 (Q)But the Lord said to him, ‘^[g](R)Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ^34 (S)I have certainly seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them; and ^(T)now come, I will send you to Egypt.’

³⁵ “This Moses whom they ^(U)disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God ^[h]sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the ^[i]help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.

²³ By faith ^(A)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the ^(B)king’s edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, ^(C)when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ choosing rather to ^(D)endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, ^26 (E)considering the ^[a]reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the ^(F)reward.