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Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

13 But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

14 God replied to Moses, “I am who i am.[a] Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh,[b] the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name,
    my name to remember for all generations.

16 “Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. 17 I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’

18 “The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’

19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him.[c] 20 So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from the foreign women in their houses. You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of their wealth.”

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Footnotes

  1. 3:14 Or I will be what i will be.
  2. 3:15 Yahweh (also in 3:16) is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered “Jehovah”; in this translation it is usually rendered “the Lord” (note the use of small capitals).
  3. 3:19 As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads will not let you go, not by a mighty hand.

And Yahweh said, “Surely I have seen the misery of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry of distress because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings. And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from this land to a good and wide land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites[a] and the Hittites[b] and the Amorites[c] and the Perizzites[d] and the Hivites[e] and the Jebusites.[f] And now, look, the cry of distress of the Israelites[g] has come to me, and also I see the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and you must bring my people, the Israelites,[h] out from Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites[i] out from Egypt?” 12 And he said, “Because I am with you, and this will be the sign for you that I myself have sent you: When you bring the people out from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.” 13 But Moses said to God, “Look, if I go to the Israelites[j] and I say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors[k] has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ then what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” And he said, “So you must say to the Israelites,[l] ‘I am sent me to you.’”

15 And God said again to Moses, “So you must say to the Israelites,[m] ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[n] 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 my remembrance from generation to generation.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors,[o] appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, “I have carefully attended to you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” 17 And I said, “I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites[p] and the Hittites[q] and the Amorites[r] and the Perizzites[s] and the Hivites[t] and the Jebusites,[u] to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you will go, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us please go on a journey of three days into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’

19 But I myself know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless compelled by a strong hand.[v] 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and I will strike Egypt with all of my wonders that I will do in its midst, and afterward[w] he will release you. 21 And I will give this people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and then[x] when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 And a woman will ask from her neighbor and from the woman dwelling as an alien in her house for objects of silver and objects of gold and garments, and you will put them on your sons and on your daughters; and you will plunder Egypt.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  2. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Hittite”
  3. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Amorite”
  4. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  5. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Hivite”
  6. Exodus 3:8 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  7. Exodus 3:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  8. Exodus 3:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Exodus 3:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  10. Exodus 3:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  11. Exodus 3:13 Or “fathers”
  12. Exodus 3:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  13. Exodus 3:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  14. Exodus 3:15 Or “fathers”
  15. Exodus 3:16 Or “fathers”
  16. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  17. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Hittite”
  18. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Amorite”
  19. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Perizzite”
  20. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Hivite”
  21. Exodus 3:17 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  22. Exodus 3:19 Literally “and not with a strong hand”
  23. Exodus 3:20 Literally “after so” or “after I do so”
  24. Exodus 3:21 Literally “and he/it will be”