Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Print Page Options Listen to Exodus 3-4
Close NIV

Exodus 3-4
New International Version

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro(A) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,(B) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,(C) the mountain(D) of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord(E) appeared to him in flames of fire(F) from within a bush.(G) 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(H) to him from within the bush,(I) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”(J)

5 “Do not come any closer,”(K) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”(L) 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.”(M) At this, Moses hid(N) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.(O)

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen(P) the misery(Q) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned(R) about their suffering.(S) 8 So I have come down(T) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,(U) a land flowing with milk and honey(V)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites(W) and Jebusites.(X) 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing(Y) them. 10 So now, go. I am sending(Z) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”(AA)

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

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

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?’(AF) Then what shall I tell them?”

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

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

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

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

18 “The elders of Israel will listen(AQ) 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,(AR) has met(AS) with us. Let us take a three-day journey(AT) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(AU) to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand(AV) compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand(AW) and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders(AX) that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.(AY)

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

Signs for Moses

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

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

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake,(BH) 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(BI) 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[e]—it had become as white as snow.(BJ)

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,(BK) like the rest of his flesh.

8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe(BL) you or pay attention to the first sign,(BM) 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(BN) 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.”(BO)

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

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

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned(BU) 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(BV) you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;(BW) 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(BX) and as if you were God to him.(BY) 17 But take this staff(BZ) in your hand(CA) so you can perform the signs(CB) 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(CC) you are dead.(CD)” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons,(CE) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff(CF) 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(CG) I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart(CH) so that he will not let the people go.(CI) 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,(CJ) 23 and I told you, “Let my son go,(CK) so he may worship(CL) me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”(CM)

24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses[f] and was about to kill(CN) him. 25 But Zipporah(CO) took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin(CP) and touched Moses’ feet with it.[g] “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(CQ) of God and kissed(CR) 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(CS) of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs(CT) before the people, 31 and they believed.(CU) And when they heard that the Lord was concerned(CV) about them and had seen their misery,(CW) they bowed down and worshiped.(CX)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
  2. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
  4. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for Lord sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
  5. Exodus 4:6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  6. Exodus 4:24 Hebrew him
  7. Exodus 4:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Listen to Exodus 3-4
Close KJV

Exodus 3-4
King James Version

3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

4 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?

12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

30 And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Listen to Exodus 3-4
Close NKJV

Exodus 3-4
New King James Version

Moses at the Burning Bush(A)

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of (B)Jethro his father-in-law, (C)the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to (D)Horeb, (E)the mountain of God. 2 And (F)the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this (G)great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called (H)to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. (I)Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, (J)“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 (K)he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the Lord said: (L)“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry (M)because of their taskmasters, (N)for I know their [a]sorrows. 8 So (O)I have come down to (P)deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land (Q)to a good and large land, to a land (R)flowing with milk and honey, to the place of (S)the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, (T)the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the (U)oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 (V)Come now, therefore, and 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, (W)“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 So He said, (X)“I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a (Y)sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, (Z)‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is (AA)My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and (AB)gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, (AC)“I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said (AD)I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18 Then (AE)they will heed your voice; and (AF)you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has (AG)met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt (AH)will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will (AI)stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with (AJ)all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and (AK)after that he will let you go. 21 And (AL)I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 (AM)But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, (AN)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So (AO)you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

4 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”

2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

He said, “A rod.”

3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may (AP)believe that the (AQ)Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, (AR)like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, (AS)it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the (AT)first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from [b]the river and pour it on the dry land. (AU)The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but (AV)I am slow of speech and [c]slow of tongue.”

11 So the Lord said to him, (AW)“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be (AX)with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

13 But he said, “O my Lord, (AY)please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

14 So (AZ)the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your (BA)brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, (BB)he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now (BC)you shall speak to him and (BD)put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and (BE)I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and (BF)you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Goes to Egypt

18 So Moses went and returned to (BG)Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”

And Jethro said to Moses, (BH)“Go in peace.”

19 Now the Lord said to Moses in (BI)Midian, “Go, return to (BJ)Egypt; for all the men who (BK)sought your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses (BL)took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took (BM)the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those (BN)wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But (BO)I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall (BP)say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: (BQ)“Israel is My son, (BR)My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed (BS)I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

24 And it came to pass on the way, at the (BT)encampment, that the Lord (BU)met him and sought to (BV)kill him. 25 Then (BW)Zipporah took (BX)a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and [d]cast it at [e]Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a [f]husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness (BY)to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on (BZ)the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 So Moses (CA)told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the (CB)signs which He had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron (CC)went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 (CD)And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people (CE)believed; and when they heard that the Lord had (CF)visited the children of Israel and that He (CG)had looked on their affliction, then (CH)they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:7 pain
  2. Exodus 4:9 The Nile
  3. Exodus 4:10 heavy or dull of tongue; cannot talk very well
  4. Exodus 4:25 Lit. made it touch
  5. Exodus 4:25 Lit. his
  6. Exodus 4:26 bridegroom
Listen to Exodus 3-4
Close ESV

Exodus 3-4
English Standard Version

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 (A)mountain of God. 2 (B)And (C)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, (D)God called to him (E)out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; (F)take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, (G)“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 (H)he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, (I)“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their (J)taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and (K)I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and (L)to bring them up out of that land to a (M)good and broad land, a land (N)flowing with milk and honey, to the place of (O)the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, (P)the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the (Q)oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 (R)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, (S)“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, (T)“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, (U)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.”[a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: (V)‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] the (W)God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is (X)my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and (Y)gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, (Z)“I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that (AA)I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land (AB)flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And (AC)they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel (AD)shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has (AE)met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt (AF)will not let you go unless compelled (AG)by a mighty hand.[c] 20 So (AH)I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with (AI)all the wonders that I will do in it; (AJ)after that he will let you go. 21 And (AK)I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for (AL)silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So (AM)you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses Given Powerful Signs

4 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, (AN)“A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may (AO)believe that the Lord, (AP)the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”[d] And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was (AQ)leprous[e] like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, (AR)it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile (AS)will become blood on the dry ground.”

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but (AT)I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and (AU)I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, (AV)he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 (AW)You shall speak to him and (AX)put the words in his mouth, and (AY)I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 (AZ)He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and (BA)you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand (BB)this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Moses went back to (BC)Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for (BD)all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took (BE)his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took (BF)the staff of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the (BG)miracles that I have put in your power. But (BH)I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, (BI)Israel is my (BJ)firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I (BK)will kill your firstborn son.’”

24 At a lodging place on the way (BL)the Lord met him and (BM)sought to put him to death. 25 Then (BN)Zipporah took a (BO)flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses'[f] feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness (BP)to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the (BQ)mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses (BR)told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all (BS)the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron (BT)went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 (BU)Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people (BV)believed; and when they heard that the Lord had (BW)visited the people of Israel and that he had (BX)seen their affliction, (BY)they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:14 Or I am what I am, or I will be what I will be
  2. Exodus 3:15 The word Lord, when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb hayah, “to be” in verse 14
  3. Exodus 3:19 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew go, not by a mighty hand
  4. Exodus 4:6 Hebrew into your bosom; also verse 7
  5. Exodus 4:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
  6. Exodus 4:25 Hebrew his
Listen to Exodus 3-4
Close NASB

Exodus 3-4
New American Standard Bible

The Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law (A)Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the [a]west side of the wilderness and came to (B)Horeb, the (C)mountain of God. 2 Then (D)the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of [b]a (E)bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. 3 So Moses said, “(F)I must turn aside and see this [c]marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, (G)God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; (H)remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And He said, “(I)I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (J)Then Moses hid his face, for he was (K)afraid to look at God.

7 And the Lord said, “I have certainly (L)seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down (M)to rescue them from the [d]power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a (N)good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of (O)the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, (P)the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

The Mission of Moses

10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, (Q)so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “(R)Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Assuredly (S)I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: (T)when you have brought the people out of Egypt, (U)you shall [e]worship God at this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “[f](V)I AM WHO [g]I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘[h]I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘(W)The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the [i](X)name for [j]all generations to use to call upon Me. 16 Go and (Y)gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘(Z)The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “[k](AA)I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 So (AB)I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of (AC)the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land (AD)flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then (AE)they will [l]pay attention to what you say; and (AF)you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a (AG)three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt (AH)will not permit you to go, (AI)except [m]under compulsion. 20 So I will reach out with (AJ)My hand and strike Egypt with all My (AK)miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and (AL)after that he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people (AM)favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman (AN)shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will (AO)plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses Given Signs

4 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or (AP)listen [n]to what I say? For they may say, ‘(AQ)The Lord has not appeared to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “(AR)A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and (AS)it turned into a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he reached out with his hand and caught it, and it turned into a staff in his [o]hand— 5 “so that (AT)they may believe that (AU)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 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand inside the fold of your robe.” So he put his hand inside the fold, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was (AV)leprous like snow. 7 Then He said, “Put your hand inside the fold of your robe again.” So he put his hand into the fold again, and when he took it out of the fold, behold, (AW)it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “So if they will not believe you nor [p]pay attention to the [q]evidence of the first [r]sign, they may believe the [s]evidence of the last [t]sign. 9 But if they will not believe even these two [u]signs nor pay attention to what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile (AX)will turn into blood on the dry ground.”

10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, (AY)I have never been [v]eloquent, neither [w]recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am [x]slow of speech and [y]slow of tongue.” 11 But the Lord said to him, “Who has made the human mouth? Or (AZ)who makes anyone unable to speak or deaf, or able to see or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now then go, and (BA)I Myself will be with your mouth, and (BB)instruct you in what you are to say.” 13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by [z]whomever You will.”

Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece

14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that [aa]he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, (BC)he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be [ab]overjoyed. 15 So you are to speak to him and (BD)put the words in his mouth; and I Myself will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what you are to do. 16 (BE)He shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17 And you shall take in your hand (BF)this staff, (BG)with which you shall perform the signs.”

18 Then Moses departed and returned to (BH)his father-in-law [ac]Jethro, and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go [ad]back to Egypt, for (BI)all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his (BJ)sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the (BK)staff of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go [ae]back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all (BL)the wonders which I have put in your [af]power; but (BM)I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(BN)Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, ‘(BO)Let My son go so that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, (BP)I am going to kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

24 But it came about at the overnight encampment on the way, that the Lord met [ag]Moses, and (BQ)sought to put him to death. 25 So Zipporah took (BR)a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and [ah]threw it at Moses’ feet; and she said, “You are indeed a groom of blood to me!” 26 So He left him alone. At that time she said, “You are a groom of blood”—[ai]because of the circumcision.

27 (BS)Now the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the (BT)mountain of God and kissed him. 28 (BU)Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and (BV)all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and (BW)assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30 and (BX)Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the (BY)signs in the sight of the people. 31 So (BZ)the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord [aj](CA)was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, (CB)they bowed low and worshiped.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:1 Or rear part
  2. Exodus 3:2 Lit the
  3. Exodus 3:3 Lit great
  4. Exodus 3:8 Lit hand
  5. Exodus 3:12 Or serve
  6. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH, rendered Lord, which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  7. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH, rendered Lord, which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  8. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH, rendered Lord, which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  9. Exodus 3:15 I.e., name used in prayer, vows, and ceremony
  10. Exodus 3:15 Lit generation of generation
  11. Exodus 3:16 Lit Visiting I have visited
  12. Exodus 3:18 Lit hear your voice
  13. Exodus 3:19 Lit by a strong hand
  14. Exodus 4:1 Lit to my voice
  15. Exodus 4:4 Lit palm
  16. Exodus 4:8 Lit listen to
  17. Exodus 4:8 Lit voice
  18. Exodus 4:8 I.e., confirming miracle
  19. Exodus 4:8 Lit voice
  20. Exodus 4:8 I.e., confirming miracle
  21. Exodus 4:9 I.e., confirming miracles
  22. Exodus 4:10 Lit a man of words
  23. Exodus 4:10 Lit yesterday
  24. Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy
  25. Exodus 4:10 Lit heavy
  26. Exodus 4:13 Lit the hand You send
  27. Exodus 4:14 Lit speaking he speaks
  28. Exodus 4:14 Lit joyful in his heart
  29. Exodus 4:18 Heb Jether
  30. Exodus 4:19 Lit return
  31. Exodus 4:21 Lit to return
  32. Exodus 4:21 Lit hand
  33. Exodus 4:24 Lit him
  34. Exodus 4:25 Lit made it touch at his feet
  35. Exodus 4:26 Lit with reference to
  36. Exodus 4:31 Lit had visited
Next
Exodus 2
Exodus 5
Next
dropdown
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Learn the Bible in 30 days
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

ESV Study Bible
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation