Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt

1 ^aThese are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were ^bseventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then ^cJoseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 ^dBut the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ^ewho did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, ^fthe people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 ^gCome, ^hlet us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them ⁱto afflict them with heavy ^jburdens. They built for Pharaoh ^kstore cities, Pithom and ^lRaamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel ^mwork as slaves 14 and ⁿmade their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives ^ofeared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 ^pSo God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, ^qhe gave them families.

The Burning Bush

1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the ^wmountain of God. 2 ^xAnd ^ythe angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, ^zGod called to him ^aout of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; ^btake your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, ^c“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for ^dhe was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, ^e“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their ^ftaskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and ^gI have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and ^hto bring them up out of that land to a ⁱgood and broad land, a land ^jflowing with milk and honey, to the place of ^kthe Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, ^lthe cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the ^moppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 ⁿCome, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, ^o“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, ^p“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, ^qyou shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”¹ And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ^r‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,² the ^sGod of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is ^tmy name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.