Exodus 3:13–22

¹³Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the people of Israel. Suppose I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Suppose they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

¹⁴God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’ ”

¹⁵God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord is the God of your fathers. He has sent me to you. He is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. And he is the God of Jacob.’ My name will always be The Lord. Remember me by that name for all time to come.

¹⁶“Go. Gather the elders of Israel together. Say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

“ ‘He said, “I have watched over you. I have seen what the Egyptians have done to you. ¹⁷I have promised to bring you up out of Egypt where you are suffering. I will bring you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey.” ’

¹⁸“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt. You must say to him, ‘The Lord has met with us. He is the God of the Hebrews. 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.’

¹⁹“But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you and your people go. Only a mighty hand could make him do that. ²⁰So I will reach my hand out. I will strike the Egyptians with all kinds of miracles. After that, he will let you go.

²¹“I will cause the Egyptians to treat you in a kind way. Then when you leave, you will not go out with your hands empty. ²²Every woman should ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles made out of silver and gold. Ask them for clothes too. Put them on your children. In that way, you will take the wealth of Egypt along with you.”