CHAPTER 3
Meanwhile, Moses
was
shepherding
the flock
of his father-in-law
Jethro,
the priest
of Midian.
He led
the flock
to the far side
of the wilderness
and came
to
Horeb,
the mountain
of God.
There the Angel
of the LORD
appeared
to
him in a blazing
fire
from within
a bush.
Moses saw
the bush
ablaze
with fire,
but it was not
consumed!
When the LORD
saw
that
he had gone over
to look,
God
called out
to him
from within
the bush,
“Moses,
Moses!”
“Here
I am,”
he answered.
“Do not
come
any closer,”
God said.
“Take off
your sandals,
for
the place
where
you
are standing
is holy
ground.”
Then He said,
“I
am the God
of your father,
the God
of Abraham,
the God
of Isaac,
and the God
of Jacob.”
At this, Moses
hid
his face,
for
he was afraid
to look
at
God.
The LORD
said,
“I have indeed seen
the misery
of My people
in Egypt.
I have heard
them crying out
because of
their oppressors,
and
I am aware
of their sufferings.
I have come down
to rescue
them from
the hand
of the Egyptians
and to bring them
up out of that
land
to
a good
and spacious
land,
a land
flowing
with milk
and honey—
the home
of the Canaanites,
Hittites,
Amorites,
Perizzites,
Hivites,
and Jebusites.
And now
the cry
of the Israelites
has reached
Me,
and I have
seen
how severely
the Egyptians
are oppressing them.
But Moses
asked
God,
“Who
am I,
that
I should go
to
Pharaoh
and
bring the Israelites
out
of Egypt?”
“I will surely
be
with you,”
God said,
“and this
will be the sign
to you
that
I
have sent you:
When you have brought the people
out
of Egypt,
all of you will worship
God
on
this
mountain.”
Then Moses
asked
God,
“Suppose
I
go
to
the Israelites
and say
to them,
‘The God
of your fathers
has sent
me to you,’
and they ask
me,
‘What
is His name?’
What
should I tell
them?”
God
said
to
Moses,
“I AM
WHO
I AM.
This is what
you are to say
to the Israelites:
‘I AM
has sent me
to you.’”
God
also
told
Moses,
“Say
to
the Israelites,
‘The LORD,
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
forever,
and this
is how I am to be remembered
in every generation.
Go,
assemble
the elders
of Israel
and say
to them,
‘The LORD,
the God
of your fathers,
the God
of Abraham,
Isaac,
and Jacob,
has appeared
to me
and said:
I have surely
attended
to you
and have seen what has been done
to you
in Egypt.
And I have promised
to bring you up
out of your affliction
in Egypt,
into
the land
of the Canaanites,
Hittites,
Amorites,
Perizzites,
Hivites,
and Jebusites—
a land
flowing
with milk
and honey.’
The elders of Israel will listen
to what you say,
and you
must go
with them
to
the king
of Egypt
and tell
him,
‘The LORD,
the God
of the Hebrews,
has met
with us.
Now
please
let us take
a three-day
journey
into the wilderness,
so that we may sacrifice
to the LORD
our God.'
So I will stretch out
My hand
and strike
the Egyptians
with all
the wonders
I will perform
among them.
And after
that,
he will release
you.
And I will grant
this
people
such favor
in the sight
of the Egyptians
that when
you leave,
you will not
go away
empty-handed.
Every
woman shall ask
her neighbor
and any woman staying
in her house
for silver
and gold
jewelry
and clothing,
and you will put
them on
your sons
and daughters.
So you will plunder
the Egyptians.”