Exodus 3:1-22

Biblical Text (Exodus 3:1-22, Anselm Project Bible):

And Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. And the messenger of YHWH appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush; and he saw, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, Let me turn aside now and see this great sight—why the bush does not burn up. And when YHWH saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here I am. And he said, Do not come near; take off your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to gaze upon God. And YHWH said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sufferings. And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And now, behold, the cry of the Israelites has come to me; and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. And now, come, and I will send you to Pharaoh; and bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. And Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And he said, Indeed I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. And Moses said to God, Look, I am going to the Israelites and will say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they will say to me, What is his name? What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I Will Be Who I Will Be. And he said, Thus you shall say to the Israelites: I Will Be has sent me to you. And God said further to Moses, Thus you shall say to the Israelites: YHWH, 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 forever, and this is my remembrance from generation to generation. Go and gather the elders of Israel and say to them, YHWH, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me, saying, I have surely visited you, and I have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—a land flowing with milk and honey. And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, and let us sacrifice to YHWH our God. And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go except by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do in its midst; and after that he will send you out. And I will give this people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty. And every woman shall ask from her neighbor and from the sojourner in her house articles of silver and articles of gold and garments; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; and you shall plunder Egypt.