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And he said, "Hear me, 1brethren* and fathers! 2The God of glory3appeared to our fatherAbraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
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and said to him, '4LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.'
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"5Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. 6From there, after his fatherdied, God had him move to thiscountry in which you are nowliving.
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"But He gave him noinheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had nochild, 7He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTSAFTER HIM.
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"But 8Godspoke to thiseffect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGNLAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOURHUNDREDYEARS.
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" 'AND WHATEVER*NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE,' saidGod, 'AND 9AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THISPLACE.'
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"And He 10gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so11Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighthday; and 12Isaac became the father of Jacob, and 13Jacob of the twelve14patriarchs.
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"The patriarchs15became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him,
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and rescued him from all his afflictions, and 16granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him governoroverEgypt and all his household.
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"Now17a faminecameoverallEgypt and Canaan, and greataffliction with it, and our fathers could findnofood.
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"But 18when Jacobheard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the firsttime.
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"On the second visit 19Josephmade himself known to his brothers, and 20Joseph'sfamily was disclosed to Pharaoh.
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"Then21Josephsent word and invitedJacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, 22seventy-five*23persons in all.
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"And 24Jacobwentdown to Egypt and there he and our fathersdied.
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"From there they were removed to 25Shechem and laid in the tombwhichAbraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
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"But as the 26time of the promise was approachingwhichGod had assured to Abraham, 27the peopleincreased and multiplied in Egypt,
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"It was he who took29shrewdadvantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would 30expose* their infants and they would not survive.
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"It was at thistime that 31Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurturedthreemonths in his father'shome.
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"And after he had been setoutside, 32Pharaoh'sdaughtertook him away and nurtured him as her ownson.
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"Moses was educated in all33the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.
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"But when he was approaching the age of forty, 34it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.
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"And when he sawone of them being treatedunjustly, he defended him and tookvengeance for the oppressed by strikingdown the Egyptian.
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"And he supposed that his brethrenunderstood that God was granting them deliverancethrough him, but they did not understand.
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"35On the followingday he appeared to them as they were fightingtogether, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, 'Men, you are brethren, why* do you injureoneanother?'
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"But the one who was injuring his neighborpushed him away, saying, '36WHOMADE YOU A RULER AND JUDGEOVER US?
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'37YOU DO NOT MEAN TO KILL ME AS YOU KILLED THE EGYPTIANYESTERDAY, DO YOU?'
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"At thisremark, 38MOSESFLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN, where he 39became the father of twosons.
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"After fortyyears had passed, 40AN ANGELAPPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNTSinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNINGTHORNBUSH.
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"When Mosessaw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the Lord:
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'41I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Mosesshook with fear and would not venture to look.
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"42BUT THE LORDSAID TO HIM, '43TAKEOFF THE SANDALS FROM YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLYGROUND.
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'44I HAVE CERTAINLYSEEN THE OPPRESSION OF MY PEOPLE IN EGYPT AND HAVE HEARD THEIR GROANS, AND I HAVE COMEDOWN TO RESCUE THEM; 45COMENOW, AND I WILL SEND YOU TO EGYPT.'
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"ThisMoseswhom they 46disowned, saying, 'WHOMADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?' is the onewhomGodsent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thornbush.
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"47Thismanled them out, performing48wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the RedSea and in the 49wilderness for fortyyears.
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"This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, '50GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHETLIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.'
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"This is the one who was in 51the congregation in the wildernesstogether with 52the angel who was speaking to him on MountSinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received53living54oracles to pass on to you.
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"Our fathers were unwilling* to be obedient to him, but 55repudiated him and in their heartsturnedback to Egypt,
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56SAYING TO AARON, 'MAKE FOR US GODSWHO WILL GOBEFORE US; FOR THISMOSESWHOLED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT -WE DO NOT KNOWWHATHAPPENED TO HIM'.
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"At that time57they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in 58the works of their hands.
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"But God59turnedaway and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, '60IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFEREDVICTIMS AND SACRIFICES61FORTYYEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL?
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'62YOU ALSOTOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GODROMPHA, THE IMAGESWHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYONDBABYLON.'
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"Our fathershad63the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Mosesdirected him to make it 64according to the patternwhich he had seen.
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"And having received it in their turn, our fathers65brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nationswhomGoddrove out before* our fathers, until the time of David.
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"66David foundfavor in God'ssight, and 67asked that he might find a dwellingplace for the God of Jacob.
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"But it was 68Solomon who built a house for Him.
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"However, 69the MostHigh does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophetsays:
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'70HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHATKIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'ORWHATPLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE?
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'71WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADEALLTHESETHINGS?'
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"You men who are 72stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are alwaysresisting the HolySpirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
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"73Whichone of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killedthose who had previouslyannounced the coming of 74the RighteousOne, whosebetrayers and murderers75you have nowbecome;
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you whoreceived the law as 76ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it."