Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures
Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. Moses said, "I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn't the bush burn up?" When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is hold ground. I am," He said, "the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
And the Lord continued, "I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me; moreover, I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Come, therefore, I will send you to the Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt.
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?" And He said, "I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."
Moses said to God, "When I come to the Israelites and say to them 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh." He continued, "Thus shall you say to the Israelites, 'Ehyeh sent me to you.'" And God said further to Moses, "Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you:
This shall be My name forever,
This My appellation for all eternity.
"Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said, 'I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt, and I have declared: I will take you out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.' They will listen to you; then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, manifested Himself to us. Now therefore, let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God.' Yet I know that the king of Egypt will let you go only because of a greater might. So I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with various wonders which I will work upon them; after that he shall let you go. And I will dispose the Egyptians favorably toward this people, so that when you go, you will not go away empty-handed. Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and the lodger in her house objects of silver and gold, and clothing, and you shall put these on your sons and daughters, thus stripping the Egyptians."
But Moses spoke up and said, "What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The Lord did not appear to you?" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he replied, "A rod." He said, "Cast it on the ground." He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Put out your hand and grasp it by the tail"—he put out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand—"that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you."
The Lord said to him further, "Put your hand into your bosom." He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales! And He said, "Put your hand back into your bosom."—He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body.—"And if they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, they will believe the second. And if they are not convinced by both these signs and stil do not heed you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and it—the water that you take from the Nile—will turn to blood on the dry ground.
But Moses said to the Lord, "Please, O Lord, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." And the Lord said to him, "Who gives man speech? Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with you as you speak and will instruct you what to say." But he said, "Please, O Lord, make someone else Your agent." The Lord became angry with Moses, and He said, "There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth—I will be with you and with him as you speak, and tell both of you what to do—and he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of God to him, And take with you this rod, with which you shall perform the signs."
Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether and said to him, "Let me go back to my kinsmen in Egypt and see how they are faring." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
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The Five Books of Moses
Now Moshe was shepherding the flock of Yitro his father-in-law, priest of Midyan.
He led the flock behind the wilderness—
and he came to the mountain of God, to Horev.
And YHWH?s messenger was seen by him
in the flame of a fire out of the midst of a bush.
He saw:
here, the bush is burning with fire,
and the bush in not consumed!
Moshe said:
Now let me turn aside
that I may see this great sight—
why the bush does not burn up!
When YHWH saw that he had turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the midst of the bush,
he said:
Moshe! Moshe!
He said:
Here I am.
He said:
Do not come near to here,
put off your sandal from your foot,
for the place on which you stand—it is holy ground!
And he said:
I am the God of your father,
the God of Avraham,
the God of Yitzhak,
and the God of Yaakov.
Moshe concealed his face,
for he was afraid to gaze upon God.
Now YHWH said:
I have seen, yes, seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt,
their cry have I heard in the face of their slave-drivers;
indeed, I have known their sufferings!
So I have come down
to rescue it from the hand of Egypt,
to bring it up from that land
to a land, goodly and spacious,
to a land flowing with milk and honey,
to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite,
of the Amorite and the Perizzite,
of the Hivvite and the Yevusite.
So now,
here, the cry of the Children of Israel has come to me,
and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
So now, go,
for I send you to Pharaoh—
bring my people, the Children of Israel, out of Egypt!
Moshe said to God:
Who am I
that I should go to Pharaoh,
that I should bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt?
He said:
Indeed, I will be-there with you,
and this is the sign for you that I myself have sent you:
when you have brought the people out of Egypt,
you will (all) serve God by this mountain.
Moshe said to God:
Here, I will come to the Children of Israel
and I will say to them:
The God of your fathers has sent me to you,
and they will say to me: What is his name?—
what shall I say to them?
God said to Moshe:
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh/I will be-there howsoever I will be-there.
And he said:
Thus shall you say to the Children of Israel:
Ehyeh/I-Will-Be-There sends me to you.
And God said further to Moshe:
Thus shall you say to the Children of Israel:
YHWH,
the God of your fathers,
the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzhak, and the God of Yaakov,
sends me to you.
That is my name for the ages,
that is my title (from) generation to generation.
Go,
gather the elders of Israel
and say to them:
YHWH, the God of your fathers, has been seen by me,
the God of Avraham, of Yitzhak, and of Yaakov,
saying:
I have taken account, yes, account of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt,
And I have declared:
I will bring you up from the affliction of Egypt,
to the land of the Cannaanite and of the Hittite,
of the Amorite and of the Perizzite,
of the Hivvite and of the Yevusite,
to a land flowing with milk and honey.
They will hearken to your voice,
and you will come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt
and say to him:
YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us—
so now, pray let us go to a three days? journey into the wilderness
and let us slaughter (offerings) to YHWH our God!
But I, I know
that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go,
not (even) under a strong hand.
So I will send forth my hand
and I will strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in its midst—
after that he will send you free!
And I will give this people favor in the eyes of Egypt;
it will be that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed:
each woman shall ask of her neighbor and of the sojourner in her house
objects of sliver and objects of gold, and clothing,
you shall put (them) on your sons and on your daughters—
so shall you strip Egypt!
Moshe spoke up, he said:
But they will not trust me, and will not hearken to my voice,
indeed, they will say: YHWH has not been seen by you…!
YHWH said to him:
What is that in your hand?
He said:
A staff.
He said:
Throw it to the ground!
He threw it to the ground, and it became a snake,
and Moshe fled from its face.
YHWH said to Moshe:
Send forth your hand! Seize it by its tail!
—He sent forth his hand, took hold of it, and it became a staff in his fist—
So that they may trust that YHWH, the God of their fathers,
the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzhak, and the God of Yaakov, has been seen by you.
YHWH said further to him:
Pray put your hand in your bosom!
He put his hand in his bosom, then he took it out,
and here: his hand had tzaraat, like snow!
Now he said:
Return your hand to your bosom!
—He returned his hand to his bosom, then he took it out of his bosom,
and here: it had returned (to be) like his (other) flesh.
So it shall be, if they do not trust you, and do not hearken to the voice of the former sign,
that they will put their trust in the voice of the latter sign.
And it shall be, if they do not put their trust in even these two signs, and do not hearken to your voice:
then take some of the water of the Nile
and pour it out on the dry-land,
and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry-land.
Moshe said the YHWH:
Please, my Lord,
no man of words am I, not from yesterday, not from the day-before, not (even) since you have spoken to your servant,
for heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue am I!
YHWH said to him:
Who placed a mouth in human beings or who (is it that) makes one mute or deaf
or open-eyed or blind? Is it not I, YHWH?
So now, go!
I myself will be-there with your mouth
and will instruct you as to what you are to speak.
But he said:
Please, my Lord,
pray send by whose hand you will send!
YHWH?s anger flared up against Moshe,
he said:
Is there not Aharon your brother, the Levite—
I know that he can speak, yes, speak well,
and here, he is even going out to meet you;
when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.
You shall speak to him,
you shall put the words in his mouth!
I myself will be-there with your mouth and with his mouth,
and will instruct you as to what you shall do.
He shall speak for you to the people,
he, he shall be for you a mouth, and you, you shall be for him a god.
And this staff, take in your hand,
with which you shall do the signs.
Moshe went and returned to Yitro his father-in-law
and said to him: Pray let me go and return to my brothers that are in Egypt,
that I may see whether they are still alive.
Yitro said to Moshe:
Go in peace! |
New Revised Standard Version
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I am has sent me to you.' " God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.
Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, "The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying: I have given heed to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt. I declare that I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.' They will listen to your voice; and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; let us now go a three days' journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.' I know, however, that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will perform in it; after that he will let you go. I will bring this people into such favor with the Egyptians that, when you go, you will not go empty-handed; each woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman living in the neighbor's house for jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; and so you shall plunder the Egyptians."
Then Moses answered, "But suppose they do not believe me or listen to me, but say, "The Lord did not appear to you.'" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." And he said, "Throw it on the ground." So he threw the staff on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses drew back from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Reach out your hand, and seize it by the tail"—so he reached out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand—"so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." Again, the Lord said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." He put his hand into his cloak; and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. Then God said, "Put your hand back into your cloak"—so he put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored like the rest of his body—"If they will not believe you or heed the first sign, they may believe the second sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or heed you, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground."
But Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Then the Lord said to him, "Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak." But he said, "O my Lord, please send someone else." Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs."
Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, "Please let me go back to my kindred in Egypt and see whether they are still living." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." |
