Exodus 1; Exodus 2; Exodus 3; Exodus 4; Exodus 5; Exodus 6:1

1 When Jacobn went to Egypt, he took his sons, and each son took his own family with him. These are the names of the sons of Israel:

2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,

4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

5 There was a total of seventy people who were descendantsd of Jacob. Jacob's son Joseph was already in Egypt.

6 Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all the people who had lived at that same time.

7 But the people of Israel had many children, and their number grew greatly. They became very strong, and the country of Egypt was filled with them.

8 Then a new king began to rule Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was.

9 This king said to his people, "Look! The people of Israel are too many and too strong for us to handle!

10 If we don't make plans against them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join our enemies and fight us and escape from the country!"

11 So the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.

12 But the harder the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work, the more the Israelites grew in number and spread out. So the Egyptians became very afraid of them

13 and demanded even more of them.

14 They made their lives bitter. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their pain- ful work.

15 Two Hebrew nurses, named Shiphrah and Puah, helped the Israelite women give birth to their babies. The king of Egypt said to the nurses,

16 "When you are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies, watch! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!"

17 But the nurses feared God, so they did not do as the king told them; they let all the boy babies live.

18 Then the king of Egypt sent for the nurses and said, "Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?"

19 The nurses said to him, "The Hebrew women are much stronger than the Egyptian women. They give birth to their babies before we can get there."

20 God was good to the nurses. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger.

21 Because the nurses feared God, he gave them families of their own.

22 So the king commanded all his people, "Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live."

1 Now a man from the family of Levi married a woman who was also from the family of Levi.

2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw how wonderful the baby was, she hid him for three months.

3 But after three months she was not able to hide the baby any longer, so she got a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar so that it would float. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the tall stalks of grass at the edge of the Nile River.

4 The baby's sister stood a short distance away to see what would happen to him.

5 Then the daughter of the king of Egypt came to the river to take a bath, and her servant girls were walking beside the river. When she saw the basket in the tall grass, she sent her slave girl to get it.

6 The king's daughter opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, so she felt sorry for him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew babies."

7 Then the baby's sister asked the king's daughter, "Would you like me to go and find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"

8 The king's daughter said, "Go!" So the girl went and got the baby's own mother.

9 The king's daughter said to the woman, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took her baby and nursed him.

10 When the child grew older, the woman took him to the king's daughter, and she adopted the baby as her own son. The king's daughter named him Moses, because she had pulled him out of the water.

11 Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people and saw that they were forced to work very hard. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses' own people.

12 Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

13 The next day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the one that was in the wrong, "Why are you hitting one of your own people?"

14 The man answered, "Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid and thought, "Now everyone knows what I did."

15 When the king heard what Moses had done, he tried to kill him. But Moses ran away from the king and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down near a well.

16 There was a priest in Midian who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to get water to fill the water troughs for their father's flock.

17 Some shepherds came and chased the girls away, but Moses defended the girls and watered their flock.

18 When they went back to their father Reuel, he asked them, "Why have you come home early today?"

19 The girls answered, "The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian defended us. He got water for us and watered our flock."

20 He asked his daughters, "Where is this man? Why did you leave him? Invite him to eat with us."

21 Moses agreed to stay with Jethro, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to be his wife.

22 Zipporah gave birth to a son. Moses named him Gershom, because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.

23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned, because they were forced to work very hard. When they cried for help, God heard them.

24 God heard their cries, and he remembered the agreement he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

25 He saw the troubles of the people of Israel, and he was concerned about them.

1 One day Moses was taking care of Jethro's flock. (Jethro was the priest of Midian and also Moses' father-in-law.) When Moses led the flock to the west side of the desert, he came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up.

3 So he said, "I will go closer to this strange thing. How can a bush continue burning without burning up?"

4 When the Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush, God called to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

5 Then God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.

6 I am the God of your ancestors -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, "I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain,

8 and I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land and lead them to a good land with lots of room -- a fertile land. It is the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

9 I have heard the cries of the people of Israel, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them.

10 So now I am sending you to the king of Egypt. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!"

11 But Moses said to God, "I am not a great man! How can I go to the king and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"

12 God said, "I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain."

13 Moses said to God, "When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you.' What if the people say, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"

14 Then God said to Moses, "I am who I am. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, 'I am sent me to you.'"

15 God also said to Moses, "This is what you should tell the people: 'The Lord is the God of your ancestors -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He sent me to you.' This will always be my name, by which people from now on will know me.

16 "Go and gather the older leaders and tell them this: 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me. He said, I care about you, and I have seen what has happened to you in Egypt.

17 I promised I would take you out of your troubles in Egypt. I will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites -- a fertile land.'

18 "The older leaders will listen to you. And then you and the older leaders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, appeared to us. Let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.'

19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only a great power will force him to let you go,

20 so I will use my great power against Egypt. I will strike Egypt with all the miraclesd that will happen in that land. After I do that, he will let you go.

21 I will cause the Egyptians to think well of the Israelites. So when you leave, they will give gifts to your people.

22 Each woman should ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for gifts -- silver, gold, and clothing. You should put those gifts on your children when you leave Egypt. In this way you will take with you the riches of the Egyptians."

1 Then Moses answered, "What if the people of Israel do not believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"

2 The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" Moses answered, "It is my walking stick."

3 The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from the snake,

4 but the Lord said to him, "Reach out and grab the snake by its tail." When Moses reached out and took hold of the snake, it again became a stick in his hand.

5 The Lord said, "This is so that the Israelites will believe that the Lord appeared to you. I am the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put your hand inside your coat." So Moses put his hand inside his coat. When he took it out, it was white with a skin disease.

7 Then he said, "Now put your hand inside your coat again." So Moses put his hand inside his coat again. When he took it out, his hand was healthy again, like the rest of his skin.

8 Then the Lord said, "If the people do not believe you or pay attention to the first miracle,d they may believe you when you show them this second miracle.

9 After these two miracles, if they still do not believe or listen to you, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water will become blood when it touches the ground."

10 But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can't find the best words."

11 Then the Lord said to him, "Who made a person's mouth? And who makes someone deaf or not able to speak? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord.

12 Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say."

13 But Moses said, "Please, Lord, send someone else."

14 The Lord became angry with Moses and said, "Your brother Aaron, from the family of Levi, is a skilled speaker. He is already coming to meet you, and he will be happy when he sees you.

15 You will speak to Aaron and tell him what to say. I will help both of you to speak and will teach you what to do.

16 Aaron will speak to the people for you. You will tell him what God says, and he will speak for you.

17 Take your walking stick with you, and use it to do the miracles."

18 Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, "Let me go back to my people in Egypt. I want to see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go! I wish you well."

19 While Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, "Go back to Egypt, because the men who wanted to kill you are dead now."

20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and started back to Egypt. He took with him the walking stick of God.

21 The Lord said to Moses, "When you get back to Egypt, do all the miraclesd I have given you the power to do. Show them to the king of Egypt. But I will make the king very stubborn, and he will not let the people go.

22 Then say to the king, 'This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.

23 I told you to let my son go so he may worship me. But you refused to let Israel go, so I will kill your firstborn son.'"

24 As Moses was on his way to Egypt, he stopped at a resting place for the night. The Lord met him there and tried to kill him.

25 But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. Taking the skin, she touched Moses' feet with it and said to him, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me."

26 She said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because she had to circumcise her son. So the Lord let Moses alone.

27 Meanwhile the Lord said to Aaron, "Go out into the desert to meet Moses." When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had said to him when he sent him to Egypt. He also told him about the miracles which the Lord had commanded him to do.

29 Moses and Aaron gathered all the older leaders of the Israelites,

30 and Aaron told them everything that the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see,

31 and the Israelites believed. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their troubles, they bowed down and worshiped him.

1 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to the king of Egypt and said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: 'Let my people go so they may hold a feast for me in the desert.'"

2 But the king of Egypt said, "Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go."

3 Then Aaron and Moses said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don't do this, he may kill us with a disease or in war."

4 But the king said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your jobs!

5 There are very many Hebrews, and now you want them to quit working!"

6 That same day the king gave a command to the slave masters and foremen.

7 He said, "Don't give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw.

8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they are asking me, 'Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.'

9 Make these people work harder and keep them busy; then they will not have time to listen to the lies of Moses."

10 So the slave masters and foremen went to the Israelites and said, "This is what the king says: I will no longer give you straw.

11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But you must make as many bricks as you made before."

12 So the people went everywhere in Egypt looking for dry stalks to use for straw.

13 The slave masters kept forcing the people to work harder. They said, "You must make just as many bricks as you did when you were given straw."

14 The king's slave masters had made the Israelite foremen responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, "Why aren't you making as many bricks as you made in the past?"

15 Then the Israelite foremen went to the king and complained, "Why are you treating us, your servants, this way?

16 You give us no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people's fault."

17 The king answered, "You are lazy! You don't want to work! That is why you ask to leave here and make sacrifices to the Lord.

18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before."

19 The Israelite foremen knew they were in trouble, because the king had told them, "You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before."

20 As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.

21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, "May the Lord punish you. You caused the king and his officers to hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us."

22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Lord, why have you brought this trouble on your people? Is this why you sent me here?

23 I went to the king and said what you told me to say, but ever since that time he has made the people suffer. And you have done nothing to save them."

1 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."