Exodus 4:22–32:35

²²“Then say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord says, “Israel is like an oldest son to me. ²³I told you, ‘Let my son go. Then he will be able to worship me.’ But you refused to let him go. So I will kill your oldest son.” ’ ”

²⁴On the way to Egypt, Moses stopped for the night. There the Lord met him and was about to kill him.

²⁵But Zipporah got a knife that was made out of hard stone. She circumcised her son with it. Then she touched Moses’ feet with the skin she had cut off. “You are a husband who has forced me to spill my son’s blood,” she said. ²⁶So the Lord didn’t kill Moses. When she said “husband who has forced me to spill my son’s blood,” she was talking about circumcision.

²⁷The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to see Moses.” So he greeted Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.

²⁸Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say. He also told him about all of the miraculous signs he had commanded him to do.

²⁹Moses and Aaron gathered all of the elders of Israel together. ³⁰Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also did the miracles in the sight of the people.

³¹And they believed. They heard that the Lord was concerned about them. He had seen their suffering. So they bowed down and worshiped him.

Pharaoh Makes the Israelites Work Even Harder

5Later on, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Let my people go. Then they will be able to hold a feast in my honor in the desert.’ ”

²Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey him? Why should I let Israel go? I don’t even know the Lord. And I won’t let Israel go.”

³Then Moses and Aaron said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t, he might strike us with plagues. Or he might let us be killed with swords.”

⁴But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Get back to work!” ⁵Pharaoh continued, “There are large numbers of your people in the land. But you are stopping them from working.”

⁶That same day Pharaoh gave orders to the slave drivers and the others who were in charge of the people. ⁷He said, “Don’t give the people any more straw to make bricks. Let them go and get their own straw. ⁸But require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t lower the number they have to make. They don’t want to work. That’s why they are crying out, ‘Let us go. We want to offer sacrifices to our God.’ ⁹Make them work harder. Then they will be too busy to pay attention to lies.”

¹⁰The slave drivers and the others who were in charge left. They said to the people, “Pharaoh says, ‘I won’t give you any more straw. ¹¹Go and get your own straw anywhere you can find it. But you still have to make the same number of bricks.’ ”

¹²So the people scattered all over Egypt. They went to gather any pieces of straw that were left in the fields.

¹³The slave drivers kept making the people work hard. They said, “Finish the work you are required to do each day. Make the same number of bricks you made when you had straw.” ¹⁴They whipped the Israelites who were in charge of the people. Those Israelites had been appointed by Pharaoh’s slave drivers. The slave drivers asked, “Why didn’t you make the same number of bricks yesterday or today, just as before?”

¹⁵Then the Israelites who were in charge of the people made their appeal to Pharaoh. They asked, “Why have you treated us like this? ¹⁶You didn’t give us any straw. But you told us, ‘Make bricks!’ We are being whipped. But it’s the fault of your own people.”

¹⁷Pharaoh said, “You just don’t want to work! That’s why you keep saying, ‘Let us go. We want to offer sacrifices to the Lord.’ ¹⁸Now get to work. We won’t give you any straw. But you still have to make the same number of bricks.”

¹⁹The Israelites who were in charge of the people realized they were in trouble. They knew it when they were told, “Don’t lower the number of bricks you are required to make each day.”

²⁰When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them. ²¹They said to Moses and Aaron, “We want the Lord to look at what you have done! We want him to judge you for it! We are like a very bad smell to Pharaoh and his officials. You have given them an excuse to kill us with their swords.”

The Lord Promises to Save the Israelites

²²Moses returned to the Lord. He said to him, “Lord, why have you brought trouble on these people? Is this why you sent me? ²³I went to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name. Ever since then, he has brought nothing but trouble on these people. And you haven’t saved your people at all.”

6Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my powerful hand, he will let the people of Israel go. Because of my mighty hand, he will drive them out of his country.”

²God continued, “I am the Lord. ³I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the Mighty God. But I did not show them the full meaning of my name, The Lord.

⁴“I also made my covenant with them. I promised to give them the land of Canaan. That is where they lived as outsiders. ⁵Also, I have heard the groans of the Israelites. The Egyptians are keeping them as slaves. But I have remembered my covenant.

⁶“So tell the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord. I will throw off the heavy load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders. I will set you free from being slaves to them. I will reach out my arm and save you with mighty acts when I judge Egypt.

⁷“ ‘I will take you to be my own people. I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God when I throw off the load the Egyptians have put on your shoulders.

⁸“ ‘I will bring you to the land I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I lifted up my hand and promised it to them. The land will belong to you. I am the Lord.’ ”

⁹Moses reported those things to the Israelites. But they didn’t listen to him. That’s because they had lost all hope and had to work very hard.

¹⁰Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹“Go. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the people of Israel leave his country.”

¹²But Moses spoke to the Lord. “The people won’t listen to me,” he said. “So why would Pharaoh listen to me? After all, I don’t speak very well.”

The Family Line of Moses and Aaron

¹³The Lord had spoken to Moses and Aaron. He had talked with them about the Israelites and about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He had commanded Moses and Aaron to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.

¹⁴Here were the leaders of the family groups of Reuben, Simeon and Levi.

Reuben was the oldest son of Israel. His sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. Those were the family groups of Reuben.

¹⁵The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a woman from Canaan. Those were the family groups of Simeon.

¹⁶Here were the names of the sons of Levi that were recorded in their family history. They were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived for 137 years.

¹⁷The sons of Gershon, by their family groups, were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived for 133 years.

¹⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.

Those were the family groups of Levi that were recorded in their family history.

²⁰Amram got married to his father’s sister Jochebed. Aaron and Moses were born in Amram’s family line. Amram lived for 137 years.

²¹The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.

²²The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

²³Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. She had Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar by Aaron.

²⁴The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. Those were the family groups of Korah.

²⁵Eleazar, the son of Aaron, married one of the daughters of Putiel. She had Phinehas by Eleazar.

Those were the leaders of the families of Levi that were recorded by their groups.

²⁶The Lord had spoken to that same Aaron and Moses. He had told them, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt like an army on the march.” ²⁷They spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. They were that same Moses and Aaron.

Aaron Speaks for Moses

²⁸The Lord had spoken to Moses in Egypt. ²⁹He had told him, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I tell you.”

³⁰But Moses said to the Lord, “I don’t speak very well. So why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be like a prophet to you. ²You must say everything I command you to say. Then your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country.

³“But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. I will multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt. ⁴In spite of that, he will not listen to you. So I will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march.

⁵“Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will reach out my powerful hand against Egypt. I will bring the people of Israel out of it.”

⁶Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. ⁷Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Wooden Staff Becomes a Snake

⁸The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. ⁹He said, “Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Do a miracle.’ When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Take your wooden staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.’ It will turn into a snake.”

¹⁰So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake.

¹¹Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and those who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. ¹²Each one threw his staff down. Each staff turned into a snake.…