Exodus 2:15-3

English Standard Version

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(A)Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by ^(B)a well.

¹⁶ Now the ^(C)priest of Midian had seven daughters, and ^(D)they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and ^(E)watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came home to their father ^(F)Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and ^(G)watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may ^(H)eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter ^(I)Zipporah. ²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name ^(J)Gershom, for he said, “I have been a ^(K)sojourner^[a] in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel's Groaning

^23 (L)During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel ^(M)groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ^(N)Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. ²⁴ And ^(O)God heard their groaning, and God ^(P)remembered his covenant with ^(Q)Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God ^(R)saw the people of Israel—and God ^(S)knew.

The Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the ^(T)mountain of God. ^2 (U)And ^(V)the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³ And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, ^(W)God called to him ^(X)out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Do not come near; ^(Y)take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ And he said, ^(Z)“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for ^(AA)he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ Then the Lord said, ^(AB)“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their ^(AC)taskmasters. I know their sufferings, ⁸ and ^(AD)I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and ^(AE)to bring them up out of that land to a ^(AF)good and broad land, a land ^(AG)flowing with milk and honey, to the place of ^(AH)the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹ And now, behold, ^(AI)the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the ^(AJ)oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ^10 (AK)Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” ¹¹ But Moses said to God, ^(AL)“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹² He said, ^(AM)“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, ^(AN)you shall serve God on this mountain.”

¹³ Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”^[b] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ^(AO)‘I am has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,^[c] the ^(AP)God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is ^(AQ)my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.