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Exodus 3

Moses and the burning bush

3 Moses worked as a shepherd and he took care of Jethro's sheep. Jethro was his wife's father and he was the priest of Midian. [ a ] Moses led the sheep to the far side of the desert. He came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

2 The angel of the Lord appeared to Moses there. [ b ] The angel looked like a fire that was burning in the middle of a bush. Moses looked at the bush. He saw that it was on fire, but the fire still did not destroy it. 3 Moses said to himself, ‘I will go nearer and see this strange thing. I want to see why the bush is not completely burned.’

4 The Lord saw that Moses came near to look at the bush. God spoke to Moses from inside the bush. He said, ‘Moses! Moses!’ Moses answered, ‘Here I am.’

5 God said to Moses, ‘Do not come nearer! Remove your shoes from your feet. The ground that you are standing on is holy.’ 6 Then God said, ‘I am the God that your father worshipped. I am also the God of your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Then Moses covered his face. He was afraid to look at God. [ c ]

7 The Lord said, ‘I have certainly seen the troubles of my people in Egypt. I have heard them when they cry for help because of their cruel masters. I know that they are very sad. 8 So now I have come down to save them from the power of the Egyptians. I will bring them out from Egypt to go to another land. That will be a good land and a big land. The land will give them plenty of good food and drink, enough for everyone. These are the nations who live there now: the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Yes, I have heard that my Israelite people are crying for help. I have seen that the Egyptians do bad things to hurt them. 10 So now you must go! I will send you to speak to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’

11 But Moses said to God, ‘I am not an important person. I cannot go to Pharaoh. I cannot lead the Israelites out of Egypt!’

12 God said to Moses, ‘Be sure of this: I will be with you. After you have led the people out of Egypt you will all worship me here, on this mountain. That will show you that I myself have sent you to do this.’ [ d ]

13 Then Moses said to God, ‘If I go to the Israelites, they may not believe me. I will say, “The God that your ancestors worshipped has sent me to you.” But then they will ask me, “What is his name?” Then what will I say to them?’

14 God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am! Say this to the Israelite people: “I AM has sent me to you.” ’ [ e ]

15 God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the Israelite people: “It is the Lord God who has sent me to you. [ f ] He is the God that your ancestors worshipped. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That is my name for all time. All generations of my people must call me by that name.

16 Go and call the leaders of Israel to meet together. Say to them, “The Lord God has appeared to me. He is the God that your ancestors worshipped. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He said to me, ‘I have been carefully watching my people in Egypt. I have seen the bad things that the Egyptians have done to you. 17 I promise that I will bring you out of your troubles in Egypt. I will lead you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. It is a land that will give you plenty of good food and drink, enough for everyone.’ ”

18 When you say that, the leaders of the Israelites will listen to you. Then you must go with them to the king of Egypt. Say to him, “The Lord God has met with us. He is the God that we, the Israelite people, worship. So let us go on a journey into the wilderness. That will be a journey of three days. We must offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there.” 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only some great power will make him agree. 20 So I will show him my power! I will do powerful miracles to punish the Egyptians. When they see that, Pharaoh will let you go free.

21 More than that, I will cause the Egyptians to think well of you, my own people. So when you leave Egypt, they will give you many gifts. 22 All the Israelite women will ask their Egyptian friends to give them things. They will ask the women who live near them and those who live with them in their houses. They will ask for silver things, gold things and beautiful clothes. Then you will take those things and you will dress your sons and your daughters with them. In that way, you will take many valuable things away from the Egyptians.’

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Jethro was another name for Reuel. See Exodus 2:18-22 .
  2. 3:2 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14 . It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
  3. 3:6 God showed himself to Moses as the angel of the Lord . God himself appeared to Moses in a way that Moses could see. He looked like a fire in a burning bush. Moses came near to the bush. He heard God's voice. He knew that it was a very special place. ‘Holy’ means that God had made it special for himself. In those days, people removed their shoes when they worshipped God. They still do that in some places today. God told Moses that he was the same God that his ancestors worshipped.
  4. 3:12 Moses did not need to be afraid to do what God told him to do. God would be with him.
  5. 3:14 God told Moses that his name is ‘I am who I am.’ The words can mean, ‘I am what I am.’ They can also mean, ‘I will be what I will be.’ He was already God from the beginning, before he made the world. See Genesis 1:1 . He is God now, at the present time. He will be God in the future time, for ever.
  6. 3:15 In English, we write God's special name as the Lord , with big letters. In Hebrew the name is YHWH. In English, this name is sometimes written as ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’.

The Burning Bush

3 Moses’ father-in-law was named Jethro. [ a ] Jethro was a priest of Midian. Moses took care of Jethro’s sheep. One day Moses led the sheep to the west side of the desert. He went to a mountain called Horeb, [ b ] the mountain of God. 2 On that mountain, Moses saw the angel of the Lord in a burning bush.

Moses saw a bush that was burning without being destroyed. 3 So he decided to go closer to the bush and see how a bush could continue burning without being burned up.

4 The Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush. So he called to him from the bush. He said, “Moses, Moses!”

Moses said, “Yes, Lord.”

5 Then God said, “Don’t come any closer. Take off your sandals. You are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your ancestors. I am 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.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptians hurt them. I know about their pain. 8 Now I will go down and save my people from the Egyptians. I will take them from that land and lead them to a good land where they can be free from these troubles. [ c ] It is a land filled with many good things. [ d ] Many different people live in that land: the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 I have heard the cries of the Israelites, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them. 10 So now I am sending you to Pharaoh. Go! Lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “I am not a great man! How can I be the one to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 God said, “You can do it because I will be with you. This will be the proof that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, you will come and worship me on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “But if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me,’ then the people will ask, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”

14 Then God said to Moses, “Tell them, ‘ I Am Who I Am .’ [ e ] When you go to the Israelites, tell them, ‘ I Am ’ sent me to you.” 15 And God said, “Tell the Israelites that you were sent by Yahweh , the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This will always be my name. It is how I want the people to remember me from now on.

16 “Now go and call together the elders of the people. Tell them that Yahweh , the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—appeared to you. Give them this message from me: ‘I have been watching over you and have seen what people in Egypt have done to you. 17 And I have decided that I will take you away from the troubles you are suffering in Egypt. I will lead you to the land that now belongs to others—the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. I will lead you to a land filled with many good things.’

18 “The elders will listen to you. And then you and the elders will go to the Pharaoh. You will tell him, ‘ Yahweh [ f ] is the God of the Hebrews. [ g ] He came to us and told us to travel three days into the desert. There we must offer sacrifices to Yahweh our God.’

19 “But I know that the Pharaoh will not let you go. Only a great power will force him to let you go, 20 so I will use my great power against Egypt. I will cause amazing things to happen in that land. After I do this, he will let you go. 21 And I will cause the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelites. They will give many gifts to your people when they leave Egypt.

22 “All the Hebrew women will ask their Egyptian neighbors and the Egyptian women living in their houses for gifts. And those Egyptian women will give them gifts of silver, gold, and fine clothing. Then you will put those gifts on your children. In this way you will take away the wealth of the Egyptians.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:1 Jethro He is also called Reuel.
  2. Exodus 3:1 a mountain called Horeb That is, “Mount Sinai.”
  3. Exodus 3:8 land … troubles Or “a spacious land.”
  4. Exodus 3:8 land … things Literally, “land flowing with milk and honey.” Also in verse 17.
  5. Exodus 3:14 I Am Who I Am The Hebrew words are like the name Yahweh (“ Lord ”).
  6. Exodus 3:18 Yahweh Or “the Lord .” See “ Yahweh ” in the Word List.
  7. Exodus 3:18 Hebrew Or “Israelite.” Also in verse 22.

3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

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

6 Moreover 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 upon God.

7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason 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 land and a large, 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 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Come now therefore, 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 unto 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, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto 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 unto 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 to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto 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 unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord 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, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to 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, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty 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 sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

The Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of his father-in-law ( A ) Jethro, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the [ a ] west side of the wilderness and came to ( B ) Horeb, the ( C ) mountain of God. 2 Then ( D ) the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of [ b ] a ( E ) bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. 3 So Moses said, “ ( F ) I must turn aside and see this [ c ] marvelous sight, why the bush is not burning up!” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, ( G ) God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; ( H ) remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And He said, “ ( I ) I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” ( J ) Then Moses hid his face, for he was ( K ) afraid to look at God.

7 And the Lord said, “I have certainly ( L ) seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down ( M ) to rescue them from the [ d ] power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a ( N ) good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of ( O ) the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, ( P ) the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

The Mission of Moses

10 And now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, ( Q ) so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “ ( R ) Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 And He said, “Assuredly ( S ) I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: ( T ) when you have brought the people out of Egypt, ( U ) you shall [ e ] worship God at this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses, “ [ f ] ( V ) I AM WHO [ g ] I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘ [ h ] I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God furthermore said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘ ( W ) 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 the [ i ] ( X ) name for [ j ] all generations to use to call upon Me. 16 Go and ( Y ) gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘ ( Z ) The Lord , the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, “ [ k ] ( AA ) I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 So ( AB ) I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of ( AC ) the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land ( AD ) flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then ( AE ) they will [ l ] pay attention to what you say; and ( AF ) 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 ( AG ) three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt ( AH ) will not permit you to go, ( AI ) except [ m ] under compulsion. 20 So I will reach out with ( AJ ) My hand and strike Egypt with all My ( AK ) miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and ( AL ) after that he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people ( AM ) favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman ( AN ) shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will ( AO ) plunder the Egyptians.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:1 Or rear part
  2. Exodus 3:2 Lit the
  3. Exodus 3:3 Lit great
  4. Exodus 3:8 Lit hand
  5. Exodus 3:12 Or serve
  6. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH , rendered Lord , which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  7. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH , rendered Lord , which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  8. Exodus 3:14 Related to the name of God, YHWH , rendered Lord , which is derived from the verb HAYAH, to be
  9. Exodus 3:15 I.e., name used in prayer, vows, and ceremony
  10. Exodus 3:15 Lit generation of generation
  11. Exodus 3:16 Lit Visiting I have visited
  12. Exodus 3:18 Lit hear your voice
  13. Exodus 3:19 Lit by a strong hand

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro ( A ) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, ( B ) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, ( C ) the mountain ( D ) of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord ( E ) appeared to him in flames of fire ( F ) from within a bush. ( G ) Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called ( H ) to him from within the bush, ( I ) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.” ( J )

5 “Do not come any closer,” ( K ) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ( L ) 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, [ a ] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” ( M ) At this, Moses hid ( N ) his face, because he was afraid to look at God. ( O )

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen ( P ) the misery ( Q ) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned ( R ) about their suffering. ( S ) 8 So I have come down ( T ) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, ( U ) a land flowing with milk and honey ( V ) —the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites ( W ) and Jebusites. ( X ) 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing ( Y ) them. 10 So now, go. I am sending ( Z ) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” ( AA )

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I ( AB ) that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 And God said, “I will be with you. ( AC ) And this will be the sign ( AD ) to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you [ b ] will worship God on this mountain. ( AE ) ”

13 Moses said to 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?’ ( AF ) Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “ I am who I am . [ c ] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ I am ( AG ) has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord , [ d ] the God of your fathers ( AH ) —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob ( AI ) —has sent me to you.’

“This is my name ( AJ ) forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation. ( AK )

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

18 “The elders of Israel will listen ( AQ ) 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, ( AR ) has met ( AS ) with us. Let us take a three-day journey ( AT ) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices ( AU ) to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand ( AV ) compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand ( AW ) and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders ( AX ) that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. ( AY )

21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed ( AZ ) toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. ( BA ) 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver ( BB ) and gold ( BC ) and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder ( BD ) the Egyptians.” ( BE )

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:6 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (see Acts 7:32) fathers
  2. Exodus 3:12 The Hebrew is plural.
  3. Exodus 3:14 Or I will be what I will be
  4. Exodus 3:15 The Hebrew for Lord sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for I am in verse 14.
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