The Call of Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.^{(A) 2} I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.^{(B) 3} I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”^[a](C)

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.^(D)

³ Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites:^{(A) 4} ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.^{(B) 5} Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,^{(C) 6} but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”^(D)

Bricks without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.”^{(A) 2} But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”^(B)

⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get to your labors!”^{(A) 5} Pharaoh continued, “Now they are more numerous than the people of the land^[a] and yet you want them to stop laboring!”^{(B) 6} That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors,^{(C) 7} “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’^{(D) 9} Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will pay attention to^[b] it and not to deceptive words.”