1:1 ¹ 

These ²  are the names ³  of the sons of Israel ⁴  who entered Egypt – each man with his household ⁵  entered with Jacob: 1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 1:3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 1:4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 1:5 All the people ⁶  who were directly descended ⁷  from Jacob numbered seventy. ⁸  But Joseph was already in Egypt, ⁹  1:6 and in time ¹⁰  Joseph ¹¹  and his brothers and all that generation died. 1:7 The Israelites, ¹²  however, ¹³  were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, ¹⁴  so that the land was filled with them.

1:8 Then a new king, ¹⁵  who did not know about ¹⁶  Joseph, came to power ¹⁷  over Egypt. 1:9 He said ¹⁸  to his people, “Look at ¹⁹  the Israelite people, more numerous and stronger than we are! 1:10 Come, let’s deal wisely ²⁰  with them. Otherwise ²¹  they will continue to multiply, ²²  and if ²³  a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with ²⁴  our enemies and fight against us and leave ²⁵  the country.”

1:11 So they put foremen ²⁶  over the Israelites ²⁷  to oppress ²⁸  them with hard labor. As a result ²⁹  they built Pithom and Rameses ³⁰  as store cities for Pharaoh. 1:12 But the more the Egyptians ³¹  oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. ³²  As a result the Egyptians loathed ³³  the Israelites, 1:13 and they ³⁴  made the Israelites serve rigorously. ³⁵  1:14 They made their lives bitter ³⁶  by ³⁷  hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service ³⁸  in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous. ³⁹ 

1:15 The king of Egypt said ⁴⁰  to the Hebrew midwives, ⁴¹  one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ⁴²  1:16 ⁴³  “When you assist ⁴⁴  the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: ⁴⁵  If it is a son, kill him, ⁴⁶  but if it is a daughter, she may live.” ⁴⁷  1:17 But ⁴⁸  the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. ⁴⁹ 

1:18 Then the king of Egypt summoned ⁵⁰  the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” ⁵¹  1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew ⁵²  women are not like the Egyptian women – for the Hebrew women ⁵³  are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!” ⁵⁴  1:20 So God treated the midwives well, ⁵⁵  and the people multiplied and became very strong. 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he made ⁵⁶  households ⁵⁷  for them.

1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “All sons ⁵⁸  that are born you must throw ⁵⁹  into the river, but all daughters you may let live.” ⁶⁰ 

2:1 ⁶¹ 

A man from the household ⁶²  of Levi married ⁶³  a woman who was a descendant of Levi. ⁶⁴  2:2 The woman became pregnant ⁶⁵  and gave birth to a son. When ⁶⁶  she saw that ⁶⁷  he was a healthy ⁶⁸  child, she hid him for three months. 2:3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket ⁶⁹  for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. ⁷⁰  2:4 His sister stationed herself ⁷¹  at a distance to find out ⁷²  what would ⁷³  happen to him.

2:5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh ⁷⁴  came down to wash herself ⁷⁵  by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river, ⁷⁶  and she saw the basket among the reeds. She sent one of her attendants, ⁷⁷  took it, ⁷⁸  2:6 opened it, ⁷⁹  and saw the child ⁸⁰  – a boy, ⁸¹  crying! ⁸²  – and she felt compassion ⁸³  for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

2:7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get ⁸⁴  a nursing woman ⁸⁵  for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nurse ⁸⁶  the child for you?” 2:8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, do so.” ⁸⁷  So the young girl ⁸⁸  went and got ⁸⁹  the child’s mother. ⁹⁰  2:9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child ⁹¹  and nurse him for me, and I will pay your ⁹²  wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

2:10 When the child grew older ⁹³  she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. ⁹⁴  She named him Moses, saying, “Because I drew him from the water.” ⁹⁵ 

2:11 ⁹⁶ 

In those days, ⁹⁷  when ⁹⁸  Moses had grown up, he went out to his people ⁹⁹  and observed ¹⁰⁰  their hard labor, and he saw an Egyptian man attacking ¹⁰¹  a Hebrew man, one of his own people. ¹⁰²  2:12 He looked this way and that ¹⁰³  and saw that no one was there, ¹⁰⁴  and then he attacked ¹⁰⁵  the Egyptian and concealed the body ¹⁰⁶  in the sand. 2:13 When he went out ¹⁰⁷  the next day, ¹⁰⁸  there were ¹⁰⁹  two Hebrew men fighting. So he said to the one who was in the wrong, ¹¹⁰  “Why are you attacking ¹¹¹  your fellow Hebrew?” ¹¹² 

2:14 The man ¹¹³  replied, “Who made you a ruler ¹¹⁴  and a judge over us? Are you planning ¹¹⁵  to kill me like you killed that ¹¹⁶  Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, ¹¹⁷  “Surely what I did ¹¹⁸  has become known.” 2:15 When Pharaoh heard ¹¹⁹  about this event, ¹²⁰  he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled ¹²¹  from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, ¹²²  and he settled ¹²³  by a certain well. ¹²⁴ 

2:16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to draw ¹²⁵  water ¹²⁶  and fill ¹²⁷  the troughs in order to water their father’s flock. 2:17 When some ¹²⁸  shepherds came and drove them away, ¹²⁹  Moses came up and defended them ¹³⁰  and then watered their flock. 2:18 So when they came home ¹³¹  to their father Reuel, ¹³²  he asked, “Why have you come home so early ¹³³  today?” 2:19 They said, “An Egyptian man rescued us ¹³⁴  from the shepherds, ¹³⁵  and he actually ¹³⁶  drew water for us and watered the flock!” 2:20 He said ¹³⁷  to his daughters, “So where is he? ¹³⁸  Why in the world ¹³⁹  did you leave the man? Call him, so that he may eat ¹⁴⁰  a meal ¹⁴¹  with us.”

2:21 Moses agreed ¹⁴²  to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. ¹⁴³  2:22 When she bore ¹⁴⁴  a son, Moses ¹⁴⁵  named him Gershom, for he said, “I have become a resident foreigner in a foreign land.” ¹⁴⁶ 

2:23 ¹⁴⁷ 

During ¹⁴⁸  that long period of time ¹⁴⁹  the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites ¹⁵⁰  groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry ¹⁵¹  because of their slave labor went up to God. 2:24 God heard their groaning, ¹⁵²  God remembered ¹⁵³  his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, 2:25 God saw ¹⁵⁴  the Israelites, and God understood…. ¹⁵⁵ 

3:1 Now Moses ¹⁵⁶  was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert ¹⁵⁷  and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. ¹⁵⁸  3:2 The angel of the Lord ¹⁵⁹  appeared ¹⁶⁰  to him in ¹⁶¹  a flame of fire from within a bush. ¹⁶²  He looked ¹⁶³  – and ¹⁶⁴  the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed! ¹⁶⁵  3:3 So Moses thought, ¹⁶⁶  “I will turn aside to see ¹⁶⁷  this amazing ¹⁶⁸  sight. Why does the bush not burn up?” ¹⁶⁹  3:4 When the Lord ¹⁷⁰  saw that ¹⁷¹  he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” ¹⁷²  And Moses ¹⁷³  said, “Here I am.” 3:5 God ¹⁷⁴  said, “Do not approach any closer! ¹⁷⁵  Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ¹⁷⁶  ground.” ¹⁷⁷  3:6 He added, “I am the God of your father, ¹⁷⁸  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look ¹⁷⁹  at God.

3:7 The Lord said, “I have surely seen ¹⁸⁰  the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ¹⁸¹  3:8 I have come down ¹⁸²  to deliver them ¹⁸³  from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, ¹⁸⁴  to a land flowing with milk and honey, ¹⁸⁵  to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ¹⁸⁶  3:9 And now indeed ¹⁸⁷  the cry ¹⁸⁸  of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁸⁹  3:10 So now go, and I will send you ¹⁹⁰  to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

3:11 Moses said ¹⁹¹  to God, ¹⁹²  “Who am I, that I should go ¹⁹³  to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 3:12 He replied, ¹⁹⁴  “Surely I will be with you, ¹⁹⁵  and this will be the sign ¹⁹⁶  to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve ¹⁹⁷  God on this mountain.”

3:13 Moses said ¹⁹⁸  to God, “If ¹⁹⁹  I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ ²⁰⁰  – what should I say ²⁰¹  to them?”

3:14 God said to Moses, “I am that I am.” ²⁰²  And he said, “You must say this ²⁰³  to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 3:15 God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The Lord ²⁰⁴  – 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 ²⁰⁵  forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’ ²⁰⁶ 

3:16 “Go and bring together ²⁰⁷  the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, ²⁰⁸  appeared ²⁰⁹  to me – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – saying, “I have attended carefully ²¹⁰  to you and to what has been done ²¹¹  to you in Egypt, 3:17 and I have promised ²¹²  that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, ²¹³  to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

3:18 “The elders ²¹⁴  will listen ²¹⁵  to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met ²¹⁶  with us. So now, let us go ²¹⁷  three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice ²¹⁸  to the Lord our God.’ 3:19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, ²¹⁹  not even under force. ²²⁰  3:20 So I will extend my hand ²²¹  and strike Egypt with all my wonders ²²²  that I will do among them, and after that he will release you. ²²³ 

3:21 “I will grant this people favor with ²²⁴  the Egyptians, so that when ²²⁵  you depart you will not leave empty-handed. 3:22 Every ²²⁶  woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying ²²⁷  in her house for items of silver and gold ²²⁸  and for clothing. You will put these articles on your sons and daughters – thus you will plunder Egypt!” ²²⁹ 

4:1 ²³⁰ 

Moses answered again, ²³¹  “And if ²³²  they do not believe me or pay attention to me, ²³³  but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?” 4:2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” ²³⁴  4:3 The Lord ²³⁵  said, “Throw it to the ground.” So he threw it to the ground, and it became a snake, ²³⁶  and Moses ran from it. 4:4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and grab it by the tail” – so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand ²³⁷  – 4:5 “that they may believe 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.”

4:6 The Lord also said to him, “Put your hand into your robe.” ²³⁸  So he put his hand into his robe, and when he brought it out – there was his hand, ²³⁹  leprous like snow! ²⁴⁰  4:7 He said, “Put your hand back into your robe.” So he put his hand back into his robe, and when he brought it out from his robe – there it was, ²⁴¹  restored ²⁴²  like the rest of his skin! ²⁴³  4:8 “If ²⁴⁴  they do not believe you or pay attention to ²⁴⁵  the former sign, then they may ²⁴⁶  believe the latter sign. ²⁴⁷  4:9 And if ²⁴⁸  they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you, ²⁴⁹  then take ²⁵⁰  some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” ²⁵¹ 

4:10 Then Moses said to the Lord, ²⁵²  “O ²⁵³  my Lord, ²⁵⁴  I am not an eloquent man, ²⁵⁵  neither in the past ²⁵⁶  nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” ²⁵⁷ 

4:11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave ²⁵⁸  a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ²⁵⁹  4:12 So now go, and I will be with your mouth ²⁶⁰  and will teach you ²⁶¹  what you must say.” ²⁶² 

4:13 But Moses said, ²⁶³  “O ²⁶⁴  my Lord, please send anyone else whom you wish to send!” ²⁶⁵ 

4:14 Then the Lord became angry with ²⁶⁶  Moses, and he said, “What about ²⁶⁷  your brother Aaron the Levite? ²⁶⁸  I know that he can speak very well. ²⁶⁹  Moreover, he is coming ²⁷⁰  to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. ²⁷¹ 

4:15 “So you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And as for me, I will be with your mouth ²⁷²  and with his mouth, ²⁷³  and I will teach you both ²⁷⁴  what you must do. ²⁷⁵  4:16 He ²⁷⁶  will speak for you to the people, and it will be as if ²⁷⁷  he ²⁷⁸  were your mouth ²⁷⁹  and as if you were his God. ²⁸⁰  4:17 You will also take in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs.” ²⁸¹ 

4:18 ²⁸² 

So Moses went back ²⁸³  to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may return ²⁸⁴  to my relatives ²⁸⁵  in Egypt and see ²⁸⁶  if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 4:19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back ²⁸⁷  to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁸⁸  4:20 Then Moses took ²⁸⁹  his wife and sons ²⁹⁰  and put them on a donkey and headed back ²⁹¹  to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 4:21 The Lord said ²⁹²  to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, ²⁹³  see that you ²⁹⁴  do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. ²⁹⁵  But I will harden ²⁹⁶  his heart ²⁹⁷  and ²⁹⁸  he will not let the people go. 4:22 You must say ²⁹⁹  to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says ³⁰⁰  the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn, ³⁰¹  4:23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve ³⁰²  me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, ³⁰³  I will surely kill ³⁰⁴  your son, your firstborn!”’”

4:24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night, ³⁰⁵  the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. ³⁰⁶  4:25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses’ feet, ³⁰⁷  and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood ³⁰⁸  to me.” 4:26 So the Lord ³⁰⁹  let him alone. (At that time ³¹⁰  she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” referring to ³¹¹  the circumcision.)

4:27 The Lord said ³¹²  to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God ³¹³  and greeted him with a kiss. ³¹⁴  4:28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had ³¹⁵  sent him and all the signs that he had commanded him. 4:29 Then Moses and Aaron went and brought together all the Israelite elders. ³¹⁶  4:30 Aaron spoke ³¹⁷  all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people, 4:31 and the people believed. When they heard ³¹⁸  that the Lord had attended to ³¹⁹  the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground. ³²⁰