EXODUS 3

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. 2 And the angel of Yehowah appeared to him in a flame of fire coming from the middle of a bramble bush; and he looked, and saw that the bush was burning with fire, but yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will turn aside now to see this great sight, and to see why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when Yehowah saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him from the middle of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here I am. 5 And he said, Do not come near here; remove your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 And he said, 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.

7 Then Yehowah said, I have indeed seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their task-masters; and I know their sorrows. 8 And I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 But now, look, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me; and I have also seen the oppression which the Egyptians inflict on them. 10 So now, come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people the Sons of Israel out of Egypt. 11 But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he said, But I will be with you; and this shall be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

13 Then Moses said to God, But see, when I come to the sons of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you; if they say to me, What is his name? what shall I tell them? 14 And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. And he said, You shall say this to the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me to you. 15 And God said to Moses also, You shall say this to the sons of Israel: Yehowah, 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 name for ever, and this is how I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them, Yehowah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me, and said, I have indeed observed you and what is being done to you in Egypt. 17 And I say, I will bring you out of the oppression 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. 18 And they will pay attention to your voice; then you and the elders of Israel shall come to the king of Egypt, and shall say to him, Yehowah, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; so now, we implore you, let us go a three days' journey into the desert, so that we may sacrifice to Yehowah our God. 19 And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a strong hand. 20 But I will stretch out my hand, and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst of it; then after that he will send you away. 21 And I will give this people favour in the eyes of Egypt; and when you go, you shall not go empty-handed, 22 but every woman shall ask her neighbour, and anyone who has settled in her house, for jewels* of silver and gold, and clothing; and you shall place them on your sons and daughters; so you shall despoil Egypt. * lit vessels