The Call of the Deliverer

2:23 87 During88 that long period of time89 the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites90 groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry91 because of their slave labor went up to God. 2:24 God heard their groaning,92 God remembered93 his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, 2:25 God saw94 the Israelites, and God understood.…95

3:1 Now Moses1 was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert2 and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.3 3:2 The angel of the Lord4 appeared5 to him in6 a flame of fire from within a bush.7 He looked8—and9 the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!10 3:3 So Moses thought,11 “I will turn aside to see12 this amazing13 sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”14 3:4 When the Lord15 saw that16 he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”17 And Moses18 said, “Here I am.” 3:5 God19 said, “Do not approach any closer!20 Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy21 ground.”22 3:6 He added, “I am the God of your father,23 the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look24 at God.

3:7 The Lord said, “I have surely seen25 the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.26 3:8 I have come down27 to deliver them28 from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious,29 to a land flowing with milk and honey,30 to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.31 3:9 And now indeed32 the cry33 of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them.34 3:10 So now go, and I will send you35 to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

3:11 Moses said36 to God,37 “Who am I, that I should go38 to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 3:12 He replied,39 “Surely I will be with you,40 and this will be the sign41 to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve42 God on this mountain.”

3:13 Moses said43 to God, “If44 I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’45—what should I say46 to them?”

3:14 God said to Moses, “I am that I am.”47 And he said, “You must say this48 to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” 3:15 God also said to Moses, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘The Lord49—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 name50 forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation.’51

3:16 “Go and bring together52 the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers,53 appeared54 to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—saying, “I have attended carefully55 to you and to what has been done56 to you in Egypt, 3:17 and I have promised57 that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,58 to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

3:18 “The elders59 will listen60 to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met61 with us. So now, let us go62 three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice63 to the Lord our God.’ 3:19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go,64 not even under force.65 3:20 So I will extend my hand66 and strike Egypt with all my wonders67 that I will do among them, and after that he will release you.68

3:21 “I will grant this people favor with69 the Egyptians, so that when70 you depart you will not leave empty-handed. 3:22 Every71 woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying72 in her house for items of silver and gold73 and for clothing. You will put these articles on your sons and daughters—thus you will plunder Egypt!”74