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“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
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So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
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Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
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Moses Flees to Midian
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
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When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
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The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
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So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
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And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
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“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.
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He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
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Moses Returns to Egypt
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.”
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The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
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and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
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Bricks Without Straw
Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’”
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But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!”
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Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.”
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That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people:
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“You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
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Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
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Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw.
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So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
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Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
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God Promises Deliverance
Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me?
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Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”
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I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
