Exodus 3:16-18

New International Version

¹⁶“Go, assemble the elders^(A) of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^(B)—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen^(C) what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt^(D) into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’^(E)

¹⁸“The elders of Israel will listen^(F) to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews,^(G) has met^(H) with us. Let us take a three-day journey^(I) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices^(J) to the Lord our God.’

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Exodus 3:16-18

New Living Translation

¹⁶“Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. ¹⁷I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’

¹⁸“The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’

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Exodus 3:16-18

Contemporary English Version

¹⁶Call together the leaders of Israel and tell them that the God who was worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you. Tell them I have seen how terribly they are being treated in Egypt, ¹⁷and I promise to lead them out of their troubles. I will give them a land rich with milk and honey, where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.

¹⁸The leaders of Israel will listen to you. Then you must take them to the king of Egypt and say, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us walk three days into the desert, where we can offer a sacrifice to him.”

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Exodus 3:16-18

New American Standard Bible

¹⁶Go and ^(A)gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘^(B)The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “^[a]^(C)I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷So ^(D)I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of ^(E)the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land ^(F)flowing with milk and honey.”’ ¹⁸Then ^(G)they will ^[b]pay attention to what you say; and ^(H)you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a ^(I)three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

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Footnotes

Exodus 3:16 Lit Visiting I have visited
Exodus 3:18 Lit hear your voice

Exodus 3:16-18

New King James Version

¹⁶Go and ^(A)gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, ^(B)“I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; ¹⁷and I have said ^(C)I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ ¹⁸Then ^(D)they will heed your voice; and ^(E)you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has ^(F)met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’