Genesis 45
Joseph Makes Himself Known
1Then Joseph could no longer control himself† before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2And he wept† so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.†
3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”† But his brothers were not able to answer him,† because they were terrified at his presence.
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!† 5And now, do not be distressed† and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,† because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.† 6For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant† on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[211] †
8“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father† to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.† 9Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.† 10You shall live in the region of Goshen† and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11I will provide for you there,† because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’
12“You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.†”
14Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15And he kissed† all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.†
16When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,† Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt† and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’†
19“You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts† from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’ ”
21So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.† 22To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels[212] of silver and five sets of clothes.† 23And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”†
25So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.† 27But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts† Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Genesis 46
Jacob Goes to Egypt
1So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,† he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.†
2And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night† and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,”† he replied.
3“I am God, the God of your father,”† he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation† there.† 4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.† And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.†”
5Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts† that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.† 7He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.†
8These are the names of the sons of Israel† (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9The sons of Reuben:†
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
10The sons of Simeon:†
Jemuel,† Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11The sons of Levi:†
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12The sons of Judah:†
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez:†
Hezron and Hamul.
13The sons of Issachar:†
Tola, Puah,[213] † Jashub[214] and Shimron.
14The sons of Zebulun:†
Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[215] besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16The sons of Gad:†
Zephon,[216] † Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17The sons of Asher:†
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,† whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah†—sixteen in all.
19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.† 20In Egypt, Manasseh† and Ephraim† were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[217]
21The sons of Benjamin:†
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
23The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,† whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel†—seven in all.
26All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.† 27With the two sons[218] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[219] in all.†
28Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.† When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father[220] and wept for a long time.†
30Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.† 32The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’† 34you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen,† for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.†”
Genesis 47
1Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.”† 2He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”†
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4They also said to him, “We have come to live here awhile,† because the famine is severe in Canaan† and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”†
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.† Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,† put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed[221] Pharaoh,† 8Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.† My years have been few and difficult,† and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.†” 10Then Jacob blessed[222] Pharaoh† and went out from his presence.
11So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses,† as Pharaoh directed. 12Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.†
Joseph and the Famine
13There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.† 14Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.† 15When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?† Our money is used up.”
16“Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,† their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[223] from one end of Egypt to the other. 22However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment† Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24But when the crop comes in, give a fifth† of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25“You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;† we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.†
27Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.†
28Jacob lived in Egypt† seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29When the time drew near for Israel to die,† he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh† and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness.† Do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”†
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31“Swear to me,”† he said. Then Joseph swore to him,† and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.[224] †
Genesis 48
Manasseh and Ephraim
1Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim† along with him. 2When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[225] appeared to me at Luz† in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me† 4and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers.† I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt† before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine,† just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7As I was returning from Paddan,[226] to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).†
8When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9“They are the sons God has given me here,”† Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless† them.”
10Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see.† So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them† and embraced them.
11Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”†
12Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand,† and brought them close to him. 14But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.†
15Then he blessed† Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd†
all my life to this day,
16the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
— may he bless these boys.†
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,†
and may they increase greatly
upon the earth.”
17When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head† he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great.† Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he,† and his descendants will become a group of nations.” 20He blessed them that day and said,
“In your[227] name will Israel pronounce this blessing:
‘May God make you like Ephraim† and Manasseh.†’ ”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you[228] † and take you[229] back to the land of your[230] fathers.† 22And to you, as one who is over your brothers,† I give the ridge of land[231] † I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
Genesis 49
Jacob Blesses His Sons
1Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.†
2“Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.†
3“Reuben, you are my firstborn,†
my might, the first sign of my strength,†
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4Turbulent as the waters,† you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.†
5“Simeon and Levi are brothers —
their swords[232] are weapons of violence.†
6Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,†
for they have killed men in their anger†
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.†
8“Judah,[233] your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.†
9You are a lion’s† cub, O Judah;†
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10The scepter will not depart from Judah,†
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs[234]
and the obedience of the nations is his.†
11He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[235]
13“Zebulun† will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
14“Issachar† is a rawboned[236] donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.[237]
15When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.
16“Dan[238] † will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
17Dan† will be a serpent by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
18“I look for your deliverance, O LORD.†
19“Gad[239] † will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
20“Asher’s† food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21“Naphtali† is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.[240]
22“Joseph† is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.[241]
23With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.†
24But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms† stayed[242] limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,†
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,†
25because of your father’s God,† who helps you,
because of the Almighty,[243] who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,†
blessings of the breast and womb.
26Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than[244] the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among[245] his brothers.†
27“Benjamin† is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”
28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
The Death of Jacob
29Then he gave them these instructions:† “I am about to be gathered to my people.† Bury me with my fathers† in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30the cave in the field of Machpelah,† near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.† 31There Abraham† and his wife Sarah† were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah† were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.[246] ”
33When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.†
Genesis 50
1Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him.† 2Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,† 3taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.†
4When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5‘My father made me swear an oath† and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself† in the land of Canaan.”† Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”
6Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt— 8besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9Chariots and horsemen[247] also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly;† and there Joseph observed a seven-day period† of mourning for his father. 11When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.[248]
12So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.† 14After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”† 16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him.† “We are your slaves,”† they said.
19But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?† 20You intended to harm me,† but God intended† it for good† to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.† 21So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.†” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph
22Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years† 23and saw the third generation† of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir† son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.[249]
24Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die.† But God will surely come to your aid† and take you up out of this land to the land† he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”† 25And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”†
26So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him,† he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Exodus 1
The Israelites Oppressed
1These are the names of the sons of Israel† who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy[1] in all;† Joseph was already in Egypt.
6Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,† 7but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous,† so that the land was filled with them.
8Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become much too numerous† for us. 10Come, we must deal shrewdly† with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”†
11So they put slave masters† over them to oppress them with forced labor,† and they built Pithom and Rameses† as store cities† for Pharaoh. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13and worked them ruthlessly.† 14They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.†
15The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17The midwives, however, feared† God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;† they let the boys live. 18Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”†
20So God was kind to the midwives† and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families† of their own.
22Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born[2] you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”†
Exodus 2
The Birth of Moses
1Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,† 2and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.† 3But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4His sister† stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank.† She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. 6She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8“Yes, go,” she answered. And the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,[3] saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Moses Flees to Midian
11One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people† were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”†
14The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?† Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
15When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,† where he sat down by a well. 16Now a priest of Midian† had seven daughters, and they came to draw water† and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.†
18When the girls returned to Reuel† their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
19They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
20“And where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”†
21Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah† to Moses in marriage. 22Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,[4] saying, “I have become an alien† in a foreign land.”
23During that long period,† the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry† for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant† with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned† about them.
Exodus 3
Moses and the Burning Bush
1Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro† his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb,† the mountain† of God. 2There the angel of the LORD† appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.† Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”† 6Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”† At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned† about their suffering. 8So I have come down† to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey†—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.† 9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing† them. 10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”†
11But Moses said to God, “Who am I,† that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12And God said, “I will be with you.† And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[5] will worship God on this mountain.”
13Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[6] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM† has sent me to you.’ ”
15God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD,[7] 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, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16“Go, assemble the elders† of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt† into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18“The elders of Israel will listen† to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices† to the LORD our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand† compels him. 20So I will stretch out my hand† and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders† that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.†
21“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed† toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.† 22Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold† and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder† the Egyptians.”
Exodus 4
Signs for Moses
1Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen† to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
2Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,”† he replied.
3The LORD said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5“This,” said the LORD, “is so that they may believe† that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
6Then the LORD said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous,[8] like snow.†
7“Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored,† like the rest of his flesh.
8Then the LORD said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. 9But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood† on the ground.”
10Moses said to the LORD, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”†
11The LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind?† Is it not I, the LORD? 12Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”†
13But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”
14Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet† you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth;† I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth† and as if you were God to him. 17But take this staff† in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs† with it.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”
Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”
19Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill† you are dead.†” 20So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff† of God in his hand.
21The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders† I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart† so that he will not let the people go. 22Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,† 23and I told you, “Let my son go,† so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”†
24At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met [Moses][9] and was about to kill† him. 25But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin† and touched [Moses’] feet with it.[10] “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)
27The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain† of God and kissed† him. 28Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say,† and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders† of the Israelites, 30and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31and they believed.† And when they heard that the LORD was concerned† about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Exodus 5
Bricks Without Straw
1Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival† to me in the desert.’ ”
2Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD,† that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”†
3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues† or with the sword.”
4But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?† Get back to your work!” 5Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,† and you are stopping them from working.”
6That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: 7“You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”
10Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.’ ” 12So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh’s slave drivers were beaten† and were asked, “Why didn’t you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”
15Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
17Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!† That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”
19The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21and they said, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench† to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”†
God Promises Deliverance
22Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people?† Is this why you sent me? 23Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued† your people at all.”
Exodus 6
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand† he will let them go;† because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”†
2God also said to Moses, “I am the LORD. 3I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[11] † but by my name† the LORD[12] † I did not make myself known to them.[13] 4I also established my covenant† with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.† 5Moreover, I have heard the groaning† of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem† you with an outstretched arm† and with mighty acts of judgment. 7I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.† Then you will know† that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you to the land† I swore with uplifted hand† to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.† I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’ ”
9Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
10Then the LORD said to Moses, 11“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”
12But Moses said to the LORD, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[14]?”†
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
14These were the heads of their families[15]:†
The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15The sons of Simeon† were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon,† Kohath and Merari.† Levi lived 137 years.
17The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.†
18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.† Kohath lived 133 years.
19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.†
These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.† Amram lived 137 years.
21The sons of Izhar† were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.
22The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan† and Sithri.
23Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab† and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,† Eleazar† and Ithamar.†
24The sons of Korah† were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.†
These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.”† 27They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.
Aaron to Speak for Moses
28Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29he said to him, “I am the LORD.† Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30But Moses said to the LORD, “Since I speak with faltering lips,† why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
Exodus 7
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God† to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,† and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, 4he will not listen† to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment† I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD† when I stretch out my hand† against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”
6Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded† them. 7Moses was eighty years old† and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake
8The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,†’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”†
10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians† also did the same things by their secret arts:† 12Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13Yet Pharaoh’s heart† became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
The Plague of Blood
14Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;† he refuses to let the people go. 15Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship† me in the desert. But until now you have not listened. 17This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD:† With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.† 18The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’ ”†
19The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand† over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs’—and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.”
20Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,† and all the water was changed into blood.† 21The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts,† and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said. 23Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
The Plague of Frogs
25Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.
Exodus 8
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship† me. 2If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. 3The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people,† and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.’ ”
5Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff† over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ”
6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs† came up and covered the land. 7But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts;† they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray† to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices† to the LORD.”
9Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”
10“Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God.† 11The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”
12After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart† and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
The Plague of Gnats
16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats† came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18But when the magicians† tried to produce gnats by their secret arts,† they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals.
19The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger† of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.
The Plague of Flies
20Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning† and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship† me. 21If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are.
22“ ‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live;† no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know† that I, the LORD, am in this land. 23I will make a distinction[16] between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.’ ”
24And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.†
25Then Pharaoh summoned† Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”
26But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians.† And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices† to the LORD our God, as he commands us.”
28Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very far. Now pray† for me.”
29Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only be sure that Pharaoh does not act deceitfully† again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.”
30Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,† 31and the LORD did what Moses asked: The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart† and would not let the people go.
Exodus 9
The Plague on Livestock
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship† me.” 2If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3the hand† of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. 4But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt,† so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’ ”
