The World English Bible (WEB) Part 12

The maiden went and called the child's mother. 2:9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages."

The woman took the child, and nursed it. 2:10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

2:11 It happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. 2:12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

2:13 He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"

2:14 He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?"

Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is known." 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 2:17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 2:18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"

2:19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."

2:20 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."

2:21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter. 2:22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."

2:23 It happened in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to G.o.d because of the bondage.

2:24 G.o.d heard their groaning, and G.o.d remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 2:25 G.o.d saw the children of Israel, and G.o.d was concerned about them.

3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to G.o.d's mountain, to h.o.r.eb. 3:2 The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3:3 Moses said, "I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

3:4 When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, G.o.d called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses! Moses!"

He said, "Here I am."

3:5 He said, "Don't come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground." 3:6 Moreover he said, "I am the G.o.d of your father, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob."

Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at G.o.d.

3:7 Yahweh said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 3:8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hitt.i.te, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 3:9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

3:11 Moses said to G.o.d, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

3:12 He said, "Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve G.o.d on this mountain."

3:13 Moses said to G.o.d, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, 'The G.o.d of your fathers has sent me to you;' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"

3:14 G.o.d said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You shall tell the children of Israel this: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 3:15 G.o.d said moreover to Moses, "You shall tell the children of Israel this, 'Yahweh, the G.o.d of your fathers, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. 3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, 'Yahweh, the G.o.d of your fathers, the G.o.d of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; 3:17 and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hitt.i.te, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey."' 3:18 They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, 'Yahweh, the G.o.d of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days'

journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our G.o.d.'

3:19 I know that the king of Egypt won't give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand. 3:20 I will put forth my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst, and after that he will let you go. 3:21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty- handed. 3:22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall despoil the Egyptians.

4:1 Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'Yahweh has not appeared to you.'"

4:2 Yahweh said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

He said, "A rod."

4:3 He said, "Throw it on the ground."

He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.

4:4 Yahweh said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail."

He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.

4:5 "That they may believe that Yahweh, the G.o.d of their fathers, the G.o.d of Abraham, the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob, has appeared to you." 4:6 Yahweh said furthermore to him, "Now put your hand inside your cloak."

He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.

4:7 He said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again."

He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.

4:8 "It will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 4:9 It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land."

4:10 Moses said to Yahweh, "Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

4:11 Yahweh said to him, "Who made man's mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn't it I, Yahweh? 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."

4:13 He said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."

4:14 The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well.

Also, behold, he comes forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 4:15 You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 4:16 He will be your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as G.o.d. 4:17 You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

4:18 Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive."

Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

4:19 Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

4:20 Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took G.o.d's rod in his hand. 4:21 Yahweh said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. 4:22 You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says Yahweh, Israel is my son, my firstborn, 4:23 and I have said to you, "Let my son go, that he may serve me;" and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'"

4:24 It happened on the way at a lodging place, that Yahweh met him and wanted to kill him. 4:25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me."

4:26 So he let him alone. Then she said, "You are a bridegroom of blood," because of the circ.u.mcision.

4:27 Yahweh said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."

He went, and met him on G.o.d's mountain, and kissed him. 4:28 Moses told Aaron all the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him. 4:29 Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 4:30 Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 4:31 The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and wors.h.i.+ped.

5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, "This is what Yahweh, the G.o.d of Israel, says, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'"

5:2 Pharaoh said, "Who is Yahweh, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I don't know Yahweh, and moreover I will not let Israel go."

5:3 They said, "The G.o.d of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to Yahweh, our G.o.d, lest he fall on us with pestilence, or with the sword."