1 And these are the names of the sons of Israel who had come into Egypt; with Jacob had they come, each with his household:

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;

⁴ Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

⁵ And all the souls that had come out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt.

⁶ And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation.

⁷ And the children of Israel were fruitful, and swarmed and multiplied, and became exceeding strong; and the land was full of them.

⁸ And there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

⁹ And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we.

¹⁰ Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, if war occur, they take side with our enemies and fight against us, and go up out of the land.

¹¹ And they set over them service-masters to oppress them with their burdens. And they built store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Rameses.

¹² But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and spread; and they were distressed because of the children of Israel.

¹³ And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness;

¹⁴ and they embittered their life with hard labour in clay and bricks, and in all manner of labour in the field: all their labour with which they made them serve was with harshness.

¹⁵ And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives—of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other was Puah—

¹⁶ and he said, When ye help the Hebrew women in bearing, and see [them] on the stool, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if a daughter, then she shall live.

¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive.

¹⁸ And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, Why have ye done this, and saved the male children alive?

¹⁹ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian; for they are strong, and they have borne before the midwife comes to them.

²⁰ And God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.

²¹ And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

²² Then Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, but every daughter ye shall save alive.

2 And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi.

² And the woman conceived, and bore a son. And she saw him that he was fair, and hid him three months.

³ And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of reeds, and plastered it with resin and with pitch, and put the child in it, and laid [it] in the sedge on the bank of the river.

⁴ And his sister stood afar off to see what would happen to him.

⁵ And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the river; and her maids went along by the river's side. And she saw the ark in the midst of the sedge, and sent her handmaid and fetched it.

⁶ And she opened [it], and saw the child, and behold, the boy wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is [one] of the Hebrews' children.

⁷ And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a wet-nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

⁸ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the damsel went and called the child's mother.

⁹ And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give [thee] thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it.

¹⁰ And when the child was grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

¹¹ And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.

¹² And he turned this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

¹³ And he went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to him that was in the wrong, Why art thou smiting thy neighbour?

¹⁴ And he said, Who made thee ruler and judge over us? dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? Then Moses feared, and said, Surely the matter is known.

¹⁵ And Pharaoh heard of this matter, and sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by the well.

¹⁶ And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew [water], and filled the troughs, to water their father's flock.

¹⁷ And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses rose and helped them, and watered their flock.

¹⁸ And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, Why are ye come so soon to-day?

¹⁹ And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew [water] abundantly for us, and watered the flock.

²⁰ And he said to his daughters, And where is he? why then have ye left the man behind? Call him, that he may eat bread.

²¹ And Moses consented to remain with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

²² And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.

²³ And it came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and cried; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage;

²⁴ and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;

²⁵ and God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged [them].

3 And Moses tended the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock behind the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God—to Horeb.

² And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn-bush: and he looked, and behold, the thorn-bush burned with fire, and the thorn-bush was not being consumed.

³ And Moses said, Let me now turn aside and see this great sight, why the thorn-bush is not burnt.

⁴ And Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him out of the midst of the thorn-bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here am I.

⁵ And he said, Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

⁶ And he said, I am the God of thy 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 And Jehovah said, I have seen assuredly the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and their cry have I heard on account of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.

⁸ And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good and spacious land, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

⁹ And now behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me; and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

¹⁰ And now come, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

¹¹ And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

¹² And he said, For I will be with thee; and this shall be the sign to thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

¹³ And Moses said to God, Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

¹⁴ And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent me unto you.

¹⁵ And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you. This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

¹⁶ Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, hath appeared to me, saying, I have indeed visited you, and [seen] that which is done unto you in Egypt;

¹⁷ and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁸ And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us; and now, let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.

¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a powerful hand.

²⁰ And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go.

²¹ And I will give this people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians, and it shall come to pass, when ye go out, that ye shall not go out empty;

²² but every woman shall ask of her neighbour, and of her that is the inmate of her house, utensils of silver, and utensils of gold, and clothing; and ye shall put [them] on your sons and on your daughters, and shall spoil the Egyptians.

4 And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to thee.

² And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A staff.

³ And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

⁴ And Jehovah said to Moses, Stretch out thy hand and take it by the tail—and he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

⁵ that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

⁶ And Jehovah said moreover to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.

⁷ And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and took it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his flesh.

⁸ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the other sign.

⁹ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also those two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour [it] on the dry [land]; and the water that thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry [land].

¹⁰ And Moses said to Jehovah, Ah Lord! I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.

¹¹ And Jehovah said to him, Who gave man a mouth? or who maketh dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? [have] not I, Jehovah?

¹² And now go, and I will be with thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say.

¹³ And he said, Ah Lord! send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.

¹⁴ Then the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he goeth out to meet thee; and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart.

¹⁵ And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

¹⁶ And he shall speak for thee unto the people; and it shall come to pass that he shall be to thee for a mouth, and thou shalt be to him for God.

¹⁷ And thou shalt take this staff in thy hand, with which thou shalt do the signs.

¹⁸ And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, that I may see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

¹⁹ And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life.

²⁰ And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them riding upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou goest to return to Egypt, see that thou do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put in thy hand. And I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

²² And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

²³ And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

²⁴ And it came to pass on the way, in the inn, that Jehovah came upon him, and sought to slay him.

²⁵ Then Zipporah took a stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, A bloody husband indeed art thou to me!

²⁶ And he let him go. Then she said, A bloody husband—because of the circumcision.

²⁷ And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.

²⁸ And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah who had sent him, and all the signs that he had commanded him.

²⁹ And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel;

³⁰ and Aaron spoke all the words that Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs before the eyes of the people.

³¹ And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.