Exodus 4:22–32:35

²²and thou hast said unto Pharaoh, Thus said Jehovah, My son, My first-born is Israel, ²³and I say unto thee, Send away My son, and he doth serve Me; and—thou dost refuse to send him away—lo, I am slaying thy son, thy first-born.’

²⁴And it cometh to pass in the way, in a lodging place, that Jehovah meeteth him, and seeketh to put him to death; ²⁵and Zipporah taketh a flint, and cutteth off the foreskin of her son, and causeth it to touch his feet, and saith, ‘Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me;’ ²⁶and He desisteth from him: then she said, ‘A bridegroom of blood,’ in reference to the circumcision. ²⁷And Jehovah saith unto Aaron, ‘Go to meet Moses into the wilderness;’ and he goeth, and meeteth him in the mount of God, and kisseth him, ²⁸and Moses declareth to Aaron all the words of Jehovah with which He hath sent him, and all the signs with which He hath charged him. ²⁹And Moses goeth—Aaron also—and they gather all the elders of the sons of Israel, ³⁰and Aaron speaketh all the words which Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses, and doth the signs before the eyes of the people; ³¹and the people believe when they hear that Jehovah hath looked after the sons of Israel, and that He hath seen their affliction; and they bow and do obeisance.

Chapter 5

¹And afterwards have Moses and Aaron entered, and they say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Send My people away, and they keep a feast to Me in the wilderness;’ ²and Pharaoh saith, ‘Who is Jehovah, that I hearken to His voice, to send Israel away? I have not known Jehovah, and Israel also I do not send away.’

³And they say, ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest He meet us with pestilence or with sword.’ ⁴And the king of Egypt saith unto them, ‘Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.’ ⁵Pharaoh also saith, ‘Lo, numerous now is the people of the land, and ye have caused them to cease from their burdens!’ ⁶And Pharaoh commandeth, on that day, the exactors among the people and its authorities, saying, ⁷‘Ye do not add to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks, as heretofore—they go and have gathered straw for themselves; ⁸and the proper quantity of the bricks which they are making heretofore ye do put on them, ye do not diminish from it, for they are remiss, therefore they are crying, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God; ⁹let the service be heavy on the men, and let them work at it, and not be dazzled by lying words.’

¹⁰And the exactors of the people, and its authorities, go out, and speak unto the people, saying, ‘Thus said Pharaoh, I do not give you straw, ¹¹ye—go ye, take for yourselves straw where ye find it, for there is nothing of your service diminished.’ ¹²And the people is scattered over all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw, ¹³and the exactors are making haste, saying, ‘Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.’ ¹⁴And the authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, ‘Wherefore have ye not completed your portion in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and to-day?’

¹⁵And the authorities of the sons of Israel come in and cry unto Pharaoh, saying, ‘Why dost thou thus to thy servants? ¹⁶Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten—and thy people hath sinned.’ ¹⁷And he saith, ‘Remiss—ye are remiss, therefore ye are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah; ¹⁸and now, go, serve; and straw is not given to you, and the measure of bricks ye do give.’ ¹⁹And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, ‘Ye do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.’ ²⁰And they meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them, in their coming out from Pharaoh, ²¹and say unto them, ‘Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants—to give a sword into their hand to slay us.’ ²²And Moses turneth back unto Jehovah, and saith, ‘Lord, why hast Thou done evil to this people? why is this?—Thou hast sent me! ²³and since I have come unto Pharaoh, to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, and Thou hast not at all delivered Thy people.’

Chapter 6

¹And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Now dost thou see that which I do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he doth send them away, yea, with a strong hand he doth cast them out of his land.’ ²And God speaketh unto Moses, and saith unto him, ‘I am Jehovah, ³and I appear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; as to My name Jehovah, I have not been known to them; ⁴and also I have established My covenant with them, to give to them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they have sojourned; ⁵and also I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are causing to serve, and I remember My covenant.

⁶‘Therefore say to the sons of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I have brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and have delivered you from their service, and have redeemed you by a stretched-out arm, and by great judgments, ⁷and have taken you to Me for a people, and I have been to you for God, and ye have known that I am Jehovah your God, who is bringing you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians; ⁸and I have brought you in unto the land which I have lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and have given it to you—a possession; I am Jehovah.’ ⁹And Moses speaketh so unto the sons of Israel, and they hearkened not unto Moses, for anguish of spirit, and for harsh service.

¹⁰And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, ¹¹‘Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he doth send the sons of Israel out of his land; ¹²and Moses speaketh before Jehovah, saying, ‘Lo, the sons of Israel have not hearkened unto me, and how doth Pharaoh hear me, and I of uncircumcised lips?’ ¹³And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and chargeth them for the sons of Israel, and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt.

¹⁴These are heads of the house of their fathers: Sons of Reuben first-born of Israel are Hanoch, and Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these are families of Reuben. ¹⁵And sons of Simeon are Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, son of the Canaanitess: these are families of Simeon. ¹⁶And these are the names of the sons of Levi, as to their births: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi are a hundred and thirty and seven years. ¹⁷The sons of Gershon are Libni, and Shimi, as to their families. ¹⁸And the sons of Kohath are Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath are a hundred and thirty and three years. ¹⁹And the sons of Merari are Mahli and Mushi: these are families of Levi, as to their births. ²⁰And Amram taketh Jochebed his aunt to himself for a wife, and she beareth to him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram are a hundred and thirty and seven years. ²¹And sons of Izhar are Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. ²²And sons of Uzziel are Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri. ²³And Aaron taketh Elisheba daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to himself for a wife, and she beareth to him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴And sons of Korah are Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are families of the Korhite. ²⁵And Eleazar, Aaron’s son, hath taken to him one of the daughters of Putiel for a wife to himself, and she beareth to him Phinehas: these are heads of the fathers of the Levites, as to their families. ²⁶This is Aaron—and Moses—to whom Jehovah said, ‘Bring ye out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their hosts;’ ²⁷these are they who are speaking unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt, this is Moses—and Aaron. ²⁸And it cometh to pass in the day of Jehovah’s speaking unto Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹that Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, ‘I am Jehovah, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I am speaking unto thee.’ ³⁰And Moses saith before Jehovah, ‘Lo, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how doth Pharaoh hearken unto me?’

Chapter 7

¹And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘See, I have given thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother is thy prophet; ²thou—thou dost speak all that I command thee, and Aaron thy brother doth speak unto Pharaoh, and he hath sent the sons of Israel out of his land.

³‘And I harden the heart of Pharaoh, and have multiplied My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt, ⁴and Pharaoh doth not hearken, and I have put My hand on Egypt, and have brought out My hosts, My people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments; ⁵and the Egyptians have known that I am Jehovah, in My stretching out My hand against Egypt; and I have brought out the sons of Israel from their midst.’ ⁶And Moses doth—Aaron also—as Jehovah commanded them; so have they done; ⁷and Moses is a son of eighty years, and Aaron is a son of eighty and three years, in their speaking unto Pharaoh.

⁸And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ⁹‘When Pharaoh speaketh unto you, saying, Give for yourselves a wonder; then thou hast said unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast before Pharaoh—it becometh a monster.’ ¹⁰And Moses goeth in—Aaron also—unto Pharaoh, and they do so as Jehovah hath commanded; and Aaron casteth his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it becometh a monster. ¹¹And Pharaoh also calleth for wise men, and for sorcerers; and the scribes of Egypt, they also, with their flashings, do so, ¹²and they cast down each his rod, and they become monsters, and the rod of Aaron swalloweth their rods; ¹³and the heart of Pharaoh is strong, and he hath not hearkened unto them, as Jehovah hath…