Exodus 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

The Burning Bush

3 <1> Moses' father-in-law was named Jethro.[11] Jethro was a priest of Midian. Moses took care of Jethro's sheep. One day, Moses led the sheep to the west side of the desert. He went to a mountain called Horeb,[12] the mountain of God. <2> On that mountain, Moses saw the Angel of the Lord in a burning bush.

Moses saw a bush that was burning without being destroyed. <3> So he decided to go closer to the bush and see how a bush could continue burning without being burned up.

<4> The Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush. So he called to him from the bush. He said, "Moses, Moses!"

Moses said, "Yes, Lord."

<5> Then God said, "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground.[13] <6> I am the God of your ancestors.[14] I am 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> Then the Lord said, "I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptians hurt them. I know about their pain. <8> Now I will go down and save my people from the Egyptians. I will take them from that land and lead them to a good land where they can be free from these troubles.[15] It is a land filled with many good things.[16] Many different people live in that land: the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. <9> I have heard the cries of the Israelites, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them. <10> So now I am sending you to Pharaoh. Go! Lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

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

<12> God said, "You can do it because I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, you will come and worship me on this mountain."

<13> Then Moses said to God, "But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors sent me,' then the people will ask, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"

<14> Then God said to Moses, "Tell them, 'I AM WHO I AM.'[17] When you go to the Israelites, tell them, 'I AM' sent me to you."

<15> God also said to Moses, "This is what you should tell the people: 'Yahweh[18] is the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. My name will always be Yahweh.' That is how the people will know me for generations and generations to come. Tell the people, 'Yahweh has sent me to you!'"

<16> The Lord also said, "Go and gather together the elders[19] of the people and tell them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob spoke to me. The Lord says: I have been watching over you and I have seen what people did to you in Egypt. <17> And I have decided that I will take you from the troubles you are suffering in Egypt. I will lead you to the land that now belongs to many different people: the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will lead you to a land filled with many good things.'

<18> "The elders will listen to you. And then you and the elders will go to the Pharaoh. You will tell him that 'Yahweh is the God of the Hebrews.[20] He came to us and told us to travel three days into the desert. There we must offer sacrifices[21] to Yahweh our God.'

<19> "But I know that the Pharaoh 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 cause amazing things to happen in that land. After I do this, he will let you go. <21> And I will cause the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelites. They will give many gifts to your people when they leave Egypt.

<22> "All of the Hebrew women will ask their Egyptian neighbors and the Egyptian women living in their houses for gifts. And those Egyptian women will give them gifts: of silver, gold, and fine clothing. Then you will put those gifts on your children. In this way you will take away the wealth of the Egyptians."