²³ During that long period,^(A) the king of Egypt died.^(B) The Israelites groaned in their slavery^(C) and cried out, and their cry^(D) for help because of their slavery went up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning and he remembered^(E) his covenant^(F) with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. ²⁵ So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned^(G) about them.

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro^(H) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,^(I) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,^(J) the mountain^(K) of God. ² There the angel of the Lord^(L) appeared to him in flames of fire^(M) from within a bush.^(N) 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^(O) to him from within the bush,^(P) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”^(Q)

⁵ “Do not come any closer,”^(R) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”^{(S) 6} Then he said, “I am the God of your father,^[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”^(T) At this, Moses hid^(U) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.^(V)

⁷ The Lord said, “I have indeed seen^(W) the misery^(X) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned^(Y) about their suffering.^{(Z) 8} So I have come down^(AA) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,^(AB) a land flowing with milk and honey^(AC)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites^(AD) and Jebusites.^(AE)