1 When Moses kept the sheepe of Iethro his father in lawe, Priest of Midian, and droue the flocke to the backe side of the desert, and came to the Mountaine of God, Horeb, 2 Then the Angel of the Lord appeared vnto him in a flame of fire, out of the middes of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 Therefore Moses saide, I will turne aside nowe, and see this great sight, why the bush burneth not. 4 And when the Lord sawe that he turned aside to see, God called vnto him out of the middes of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he answered, I am here. 5 Then he saide, Come not hither, put thy shooes off thy feete: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreouer he saide, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Iaakob. Then Moses hid his face: for he was afraid to looke vpon God. 7 Then the Lord said, I haue surely seene the trouble of my people, which are in Egypt, and haue heard their crie, because of their taskemasters: for I knowe their sorowes. 8 Therefore I am come downe to deliuer them out of the hande of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that lande into a good lande and a large, into a lande that floweth with milke and honie, euen into the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hiuites, and the Iebusites. 9 And now lo, the crie of the children of Israel is come vnto me, and I haue also seene ye oppression, wherewith the Egyptians oppresse them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee vnto Pharaoh, that thou maiest bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. 11 But Moses said vnto God, Who am I, that I should go vnto Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And he answered, Certainely I will be with thee: and this shall be a token vnto thee, that I haue sent thee, After that thou hast brought the people out of Egypt, ye shall serue God vpon this Mountaine. 13 Then Moses said vnto God, Behold, when I shall come vnto the children of Israel, and shall say vnto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me vnto you: if they say vnto me, What is his Name? what shall I say vnto them? 14 And God answered Moses, I Am That I Am. Also he said, Thus shalt thou say vnto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me vnto you. 15 And God spake further vnto Moses, Thus shalt thou say vnto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Iaakob hath sent me vnto you: this is my Name for euer, and this is my memoriall vnto all ages. 16 Go and gather the Elders of Israel together, and thou shalt say vnto the, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Izhak, and Iaakob appeared vnto me, and said, I haue surely remembred you, and that which is done to you in Egypt. 17 Therefore I did say, I wil bring you out of the affliction of Egypt vnto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hiuites, and the Iebusites, vnto a lande that floweth with milke and honie. 18 Then shall they obey thy voyce, and thou and the Elders of Israel shall go vnto the King of Egypt, and say vnto him, The Lord God of the Ebrewes hath met with vs: we pray thee nowe therefore, let vs goe three dayes iourney in the wildernesse, that we may sacrifice vnto the Lord our God. 19 But I know, that the King of Egypt wil not let you goe, but by strong hande. 20 Therefore will I stretch out mine hande and smite Egypt with all my wonders, which I will doe in the middes thereof: and after that shall he let you goe. 21 And I will make this people to be fauoured of the Egyptians: so that when ye go, ye shall not goe emptie. 22 For euery woman shall aske of her neighbour, and of her that soiourneth in her house, iewels of siluer and iewels of gold and raiment, and ye shall put them on your sonnes, and on your daughters, and shall spoyle the Egyptians.
God Calls Moses
1 One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. 3 “This is strange,” he thought. “Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.”
4 When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses! Moses!”
He answered, “Yes, here I am.”
5 God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings, 8 and so I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of Egypt to a spacious land, one which is rich and fertile and in which the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites now live. 9 I have indeed heard the cry of my people, and I see how the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 Now I am sending you to the king of Egypt so that you can lead my people out of his country.”
11 But Moses said to God, “I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 God answered, “I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. That will be the proof that I have sent you.”
13 But Moses replied, “When I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ So what can I tell them?”
14 God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: ‘The one who is called I AM has sent me to you.’ 15 Tell the Israelites that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have sent you to them. This is my name forever; this is what all future generations are to call me. 16 Go and gather the leaders of Israel together and tell them that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to you. Tell them that I have come to them and have seen what the Egyptians are doing to them. 17 I have decided that I will bring them out of Egypt, where they are being treated cruelly, and will take them to a rich and fertile land—the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
18 “My people will listen to what you say to them. Then you must go with the leaders of Israel to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has revealed himself to us. Now allow us to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced to do so. 20 But I will use my power and will punish Egypt by doing terrifying things there. After that he will let you go.
21 “I will make the Egyptians respect you so that when my people leave, they will not go empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors and to any Egyptian woman living in her house and will ask for clothing and for gold and silver jewelry. The Israelites will put these things on their sons and daughters and carry away the wealth of the Egyptians.”