Exodus 3
New Catholic Bible
The Burning Bush[a]
Chapter 3
The Call of Moses.[b] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[c] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[d] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. 3 Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”
4 The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.[e]
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,[f] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. 9 The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. 10 Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”
11 Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I am with you. Behold, this is proof that I have sent you, when you will lead the people from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”
13 God Reveals His Name.[g] Moses said to God, “If I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ but they say to me, ‘What is his name,’ what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[h] Then he said, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you.’ This is my name forever. This is the title with which I will be remembered from one generation to the next.”
16 Moses Is Invested with His Mission.[i]“Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me,[j] the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, saying, “I have seen you and what is done to you in Egypt. 17 I have said, ‘I will make them go out from the humiliation 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.’ ” ’
18 “They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Let us make a three days’ journey into the desert to make a sacrifice to the Lord, our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to leave unless he is forced. 20 I will therefore stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will work in their midst. Afterward, they will let you go.
21 “I will make this people find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. When you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every woman will ask her neighbor and those living in her house for silver and gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 3:1 This grand text has always appealed to the most religious Jews and Christians. To those who strive to deepen their sense of their existence before God, the flaming fire and the Divine Name reveal the extent to which the Lord surpasses all that he has created but also how his love brings him close to human beings in order to lead them toward their destiny.
- Exodus 3:1 It is when Moses least expects it that he is called by God. The mystery of the fire that burns without being consumed astounds him. It is then that he discovers the sign of the presence and the devouring love of the Lord who so surpasses the creature that the latter feels crushed. But God keeps himself present in human history. Resolved to deliver his people, he chooses to have need of a man in order to manifest the divine power by giving him a mission to complete that is beyond human powers. History is about to take a new turn.
- Exodus 3:1 Horeb: i.e., another name for “Sinai.”
- Exodus 3:2 Angel of the Lord: an expression that signifies God himself (see Gen 16:7).
- Exodus 3:6 Moses’ action is based on the long held belief that no one can see God and live (see Gen 32:30).
- Exodus 3:8 Land flowing with milk and honey: an expression used by Eastern peoples to signify fertility (the terms are taken from the world of shepherds); the Pentateuch often uses the phrase to mean the Promised Land.
- Exodus 3:13 In Semitic thought, for a person to reveal his name to someone was equivalent to putting himself in that person’s power. When the Lord of Israel describes himself as “He who is” (Yahweh), as the One who is there for his people, he is refusing to manifest himself completely, while at the same time revealing himself to be the living God who is always present in the midst of his people and involved with them. In the same way, Jesus will reassure his Apostles at the time of his leaving them: “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20).
- Exodus 3:14 I am who I am: later, as a show of awe and respect, the title Adonai, “my Lord,” would be used.
- Exodus 3:16 Moses, entrusted with his mission, is to announce that God is preparing to have his people leave Egypt despite Pharaoh’s refusal to let them go.
- Exodus 3:16 Appeared to me: to the Israelites this means that Moses has received special recognition from the Lord and his words are to be heeded. Elders: a title given to those who traditionally spoke for the children of Israel.
