Exodus 6
International Children’s Bible
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to the king of Egypt. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. Because of my power, he will force them out of his country.”
2 Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name, God All-Powerful. But they did not know me by my name, the Lord. 4 I also made my agreement with them to give them the land of Canaan. They lived in that land, but it was not their own land. 5 Now I have heard the cries of the Israelites. The Egyptians are treating them as slaves. And I remember my agreement. 6 So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will save you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will make you free. You will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will free you by my great power. And I will punish the Egyptians terribly. 7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God. I am the One who saves you from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. 8 I will lead you to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”
9 So Moses told this to the people of Israel. But they would not listen to him. They were discouraged, and their slavery was hard.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”
12 But Moses answered, “The Israelites will not listen to me. So surely the king will not listen to me, either. I am not a good speaker.”
13 But the Lord told Moses and Aaron to talk to the king. He commanded them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Families of Israel
14 These are the leaders of the families of Israel:
Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons. They were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the family groups of Reuben.
15 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the family groups of Simeon.
16 Levi lived 137 years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their families.
18 Kohath lived 133 years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These are the family groups of Levi, according to their family history.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed. Jochebed gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
21 Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.
22 Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the family groups of the Korahites.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel. And she gave birth to Phinehas.
These are the leaders of the family groups of the Levites.
26 This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord spoke. He said, “Lead my people out of Israel in their divisions.” 27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to the king of Egypt. They told him to let the people of Israel leave Egypt.
God Repeats His Call to Moses
28 The Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. 29 He said, “I am the Lord. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses answered, “I am not a good speaker. The king will not listen to me.”
Exodus 6
Revised Standard Version
6 1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, yea, with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
2 And God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty,[a] but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners. 5 Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, 7 and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel; but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel bondage.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am a man of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a charge to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron
14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemu′el, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merar′i, the years of the life of Levi being a hundred and thirty-seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shim′e-i, by their families. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uz′ziel, the years of the life of Kohath being a hundred and thirty-three years. 19 The sons of Merar′i: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram took to wife Joch′ebed his father’s sister and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being one hundred and thirty-seven years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uz′ziel: Mi′sha-el, Elza′phan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took to wife Eli′sheba, the daughter of Ammin′adab and the sister of Nahshon; and she bore him Nadab, Abi′hu, Elea′zar, and Ith′amar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elka′nah, and Abi′asaph; these are the families of the Ko′rahites. 25 Elea′zar, Aaron’s son, took to wife one of the daughters of Pu′ti-el; and she bore him Phin′ehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their families.
26 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.
Moses and Aaron Obey God’s Commands
28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?”
Footnotes
- Exodus 6:3 Heb El Shaddai
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.