23 During that long period,e the king of Egypt died.f The Israelites groaned in their slaveryg and cried out, and their cryh for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he rememberedi his covenantj with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concernedk about them.

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethrol his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,m and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,n the mountaino of God. 2 There the angel of the Lordp appeared to him in flames of fireq from within a bush.r Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God calleds to him from within the bush,t “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”u

5 “Do not come any closer,”v God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”w 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,a the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”x At this, Moses hidy his face, because he was afraid to look at God.z

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seena the miseryb of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concernedc about their suffering.d