The Readable Bible: Exodus

The Readable Bible

Exodus

From Iron Stream Media

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The Readable Bible

Exodus

The Exodus, Tabernacle, and First Laws

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Exodus

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

e Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of ve hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to e Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from e Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from e Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

When quotations from The Readable Bible text are used in not-for-sale media (e.g., church bulletins, orders of service, newsletters, digital presentations), a copyright notice is not required, but the initials “TRB” must appear at the end of each quotation. Websites and blogs may quote up to five hundred verses without express written permission provided they include the initials “TRB” at the end of each quotation and provided that the verses quoted account for not more than 25 percent of any web page upon which they appear and that no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted.

Quotations not covered by the above guidelines must be approved in writing by Iron Stream Media. Send requests to info@ironstreammedia.com or to the address above.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

Moses

Increases

Promises

Genealogy: Moses and Aaron

Appointed as Moses’

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

1st Plague: Rivers Become Blood

2nd Plague: Frogs

3rd Plague: Gnats

Exodus 7

8

10

11

Plague: Biting Flies 11

9

5th Plague: Death of Livestock........................................................... 12

Plague: Boils 12

7th Plague: Hail

13 Exodus 10

8th Plague: Locusts

10th Plague: Death of the Firstborn

15

14 9th Plague: Darkness

Exodus 11

15 Exodus 12

Passover and Festival of Unleavened Bread 16

Exodus................................................................................ 17

Exodus—Traditional Routes 18

Exodus—Modern Routes

of the Firstborn

of Unleavened Bread

Egypt, Pillar of Fire

Pharaoh Pursues Israel

Exodus 13

20

21

14

the Red Sea 22

About

Laws About

Laws About

Laws About Personal

Book

Tabernacle

Meeting Tent

The New Stone Tablets

Reaffirmation

Shining Face

Sabbath Observance

Obligation

Production of Tabernacle

35

37

Tabernacle Furniture and Supplies

Table: Tabernacle Raw Material Inventory

Priestly Garments Assembly

Presentation of the Tabernacle Components to Moses

Exodus 38

Exodus 39

Exodus 40

Construction of the Tabernacle..........................................................

Table: Tabernacle Construction Steps

Glory of the Lord Fills the Tabernacle

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

L

Spring

Introduction to Exodusa

Exodus is the first of four books about the formation of Israel as a nation. In Exodus, Moses recorded how the Israelites escaped from Egypt and traveled to Mount Sinai. In Leviticus, he wrote the ceremonial and moral laws as God gave them to him. In Numbers, he described the journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab in Canaan. And in the three addresses of Deuteronomy, he reminded the Israelites of important events in their history and key points of the law.

Exodus is one of the greatest historical narratives of all time. In it we have the record of how God delivered Israel from their Egyptian bondage and how he led them to Mount Sinai to give them the first laws of Israel and the design of the meeting tent/tabernacle.b In their journey, the Israelites learned that

• God redeems (i.e., delivers from bondage), protects, and provides oversight;

• God has a covenant law for them;

• God expects their allegiance and loyalty because of his redemption; and

• God expects personal and communal worship.

Whereas in Genesis, God shows us his lovingkindness and makes it clear to us that he is active in our lives, chooses to redeem, and provides protection; in Exodus, he reveals new aspects of his relationship with us:

• There is law.

• It must be obeyed.

• Disobedience has consequences.

Today God redeems us not from the captivity of man but from the captivity of sin (Romans 6:20–22). While the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed the way we come to God and live to glorify him, the truths God taught Israel are still true. Exodus reminds us to obey God, follow his leading, and worship him alone.

Before You Read

In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is to” are equal terms, all the same strength. Read lists from top to bottom in the first column then read the next column.

Law code portions are formatted like modern law codes—in outline form, with headings and subheadings and bold text. The following are editorial additions, not part of the biblical text: words in italics, outline and list letters and numbers, and headings that are not part of sentences.

You will find a “Key to Genealogical Tables” in the back of the book. While we have endeavored to make our tables intuitive, you may grasp them more quickly if you look at the key first.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Please browse the glossary before you begin reading. You will find helpful information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important explanations of the words “L” and “Yahweh,” “meeting tent” and “tabernacle.”

a “Exodus”: a transliterated Greek word that means “going out.” The Hebrew Bible title, sh’mot, means “names.”

b Though the meeting tent was a temporary arrangement predating the construction of the tabernacle, the terms “tabernacle” and “meeting tent” are often synonymous in Exodus.

Part 1. From Egypt to Mount Sinai

1 Egypt Oppresses the Israelites

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: a –2 Reuben –3 Issachar –4 Dan – Simeon – Zebulun – Naphtali – Levi – Benjamin – Gad – Judah – Asher

5 The descendants of Jacobb totaled seventy (not including Joseph, who was already in Egypt).

6 After Joseph and his brothers and their generation died, 7 the Israelites continued to be fruitful and multiplied greatly,c such that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who didn’t know about Joseph, rose up over Egypt 9 and said to his people, “Listen, the Israelites are more numerous and stronger than us. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them—or they’ll continue to multiply and, if war comes, join our enemies, fight against us, and leave our land.”

11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with hard labor and made them build Pithom and Ramesesd for Pharaoh as storage cities. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied. They spread so much that the Egyptians dreaded the sons of Israel. 13 So they enslaved the Israelitese 14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor (such as making mortar and brick and doing all the field labor). All the work in which they had to serve was brutal.

15

The king of Egypt told the chief Hebrew midwives—one was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah— 16 “When you serve as a midwife f to the Hebrew women and see them on the delivery stool, if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 But the midwives feared God and didn’t do what the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked, “Why have you done this, and let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered, “Hebrew women aren’t like Egyptian women; they’re vigorous and give birth before the midwife gets to them.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became much more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Throw every Hebrew son who is born into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

a Or “each household.” See Genesis 35:22b–26.

b Literally, “All the lives who came out of the loins of Jacob.”

c Literally, “were fruitful and increased greatly, multiplied and became exceedingly strong.”

d Or “Raamses” or “Ramses.”

e Literally, “they forced the Israelites to work vigorously.”

f Literally, “When you help give birth.”

The Birth of Moses

1 Now a man of the house of Levi named Amram married a Levite woman named Jochebed, a 2 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took a reed basket, coated it with tar and pitch, placed the child in it, and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River 4 The baby’s sister Miriamb stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants walked along the Nile’s bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, who brought it to her. 6 She opened it and saw the child, and was startled to see that he was crying.c So she had compassion on him, exclaiming, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”

7 So then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

8 Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Yes, go.” So she went and called the baby’s mother.

9 And Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this baby away and nurse him for me, and I’ll pay you wages.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the

GEOGRAPHY OF MOSES

Rameses?

Pithom?

NILE RIVER

Movements of Moses

2:1 Probably born in Rameses, near the Nile.

2:15 Fled to Midian.

3:2 God appeared to him on Mt. Sinai.

4:20 Returned to Egypt.

12:37 Led the exodus out of Egypt.

See other maps of the journey in Exodus 12 and Numbers 33.

250MILES

Mt. Sinai? * (a.k.a. Mt. Horeb)

* This is the site of today’s Mt. Sinai. It may not be the site of the Mt. Sinai of the Bible.

a See genealogy at Exodus 6:20.

b See genealogy at Numbers 26:59.

c Literally, “Look! He was crying.”

GOSHEN MIDIAN

EGYPTIAN DOMAINEGYPT

RED SEA

child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,a saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

In those days of bondage, when Moses had grown up, he visited his own peopleb and saw their hard labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking aroundc and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the next day and saw two Hebrews were fighting. He asked the guilty one, “Why are you hitting your neighbor?”

11

14 He replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “Surely what I did has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard about it, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh about 250 miles east and settled in Midian.d

One day he sat by a well. 16 A Midianite priest had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.

18 When they returned home to their father Reuel, he asked, “Why have you come back so early today?”

19 They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the hand of the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20 Reuel asked, “Where is he? Why did you leave him behind? Invite him for something to eat.”

21 Moses was happy to stay e with the man, so he gave his daughter Zipporah (i e , Bird) to Moses in marriage 22 She gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom (i.e., Exile), saying, “I’ve become an exile in a foreign land.”

23 Years later,f the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out because of their bondage—and in their slavery their plea went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.g 25 He looked on the Israelites and knew it was time to act.

Exodus 3

The Burning Bush

1 One day when Moses was grazing the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,h the priest of Midian, he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 An angel of the L appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked, and realized that though the bush was burning, it wasn’t consumed! 3 And Moses thought, “I’ll go over to see this amazing sight—see why the bush isn’t burning up.”

a “Moses” probably comes from a Hebrew word that means “to draw out of water.”

b Literally, “he went to his brethren.” Twice in this verse.

c Literally, “Turning this way and that.”

d “Midian”: the land of the descendants of Abraham’s son Midian, borne by his second wife Keturah.

e In their culture, Moses was, in effect, committing to stay for a short time. Thus he would need permission to leave (see Exodus 4:18).

f Literally, “It was in those many days.”

g See Genesis 15:13–16.

h Jethro was also known as “Reuel.” See Exodus 2:18.

Moses Sent to Free Israel

4 When the L saw he’d gone over to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And he replied, “Here I am.”

5 And then he said, “Don’t come any closer. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He also said, 6 “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 And the L said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people in Egypt—heard their cries of distress because of their slavemasters’ cruelty. I know their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honeya—the place of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 For indeed, the cries of the Israelites have reached me, and I’ve seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them.b 10 Come now, for I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

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

12 God said, “I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask, ‘What is his name?’ What shall I say?”

14 God said to Moses, “I Am Wh I Am.c Tell the Israelites: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’

15 And God also told Moses, “This is what you will say to the Israelites: ‘The L, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’

16 “Now go, assemble the elders of Israel, and tell them, ‘The L, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have surely been watching over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And 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.’ 18 They will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The L, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to make sacrifices to the L our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt won’t let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of miracles that I will do in their midst. After that, he will let you go. 21 I’ll even grant this people favor with the Egyptians so that when you go, you won’t leave empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her

a “Honey”: probably syrup made from processing dates or grapes. “Flowing” is an indication that the land is so fertile that the fruit trees, herds, and flocks flourish.

b Literally, “the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.”

c Other than “God,” God’s names are presented in small caps throughout the text.

d See Genesis 15:13–16.

house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 4

Power Given to Moses

1 Moses asked, “What if they don’t believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The L didn’t appear to you’?”

2 God answered, “What’s that in your hand?”

Moses said, “A shepherd’s staff.”

3 And God said, “Throw it on the ground.” So Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

4 But the L ordered Moses, “Reach out with your hand and grab it by the tail.” So Moses reached out his hand and caught the snake, and it became a staff in his hand! 5 And God explained, “This is so they may believe that the L—the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

6 And the L continued, “Put your hand in your cloak.”a So Moses put his hand in his cloak, and he took it out. To his shock, it was leprous, like snow. 7 Then God said, “Now put it back in your cloak.” So Moses put his hand in his cloak again, and to his amazement, when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 And God said, “If they don’t believe you or pay attention to the messageb of the first miraculous sign, they may believe the message of the second. 9 But if they won’t believe the message of these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground. The water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

10 But Moses said to the L, “Please, my Lord, I’m not a man of words, neither recently nor in the past, certainly not since you have spoken to your servant. I’m slow c of speech and slow of tongue.”

11 So the L said, “Who gave humans a mouth? Who makes them deaf or mute or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the L? 12 Now go! I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”

13 But Moses said, “Please, my Lord, send someone else.”d

14 Then the anger of the L burned against Moses; yet he said, “What about e your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. Look, he’s coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he’ll be glad in his heart. 15 Talk to him and put words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He’ll speak to the people for you, and it’ll be as if he were your mouth and you were his God. 17 Take this staff in your hand—with it you’ll perform miraculous signs.”

a Literally, “in your bosom.”

b Literally, “or listen to the voice of.”

c Literally, “am heavy.”

d Literally, Masoretic text: “Please send by your hand you will send.” Septuagint: “I beg you, Lord, to appoint by your power another whom you send.”

e Literally, “Isn’t there.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

19 Now the L said to Moses while he was in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought your life are dead.”

18 So Moses returned to his father-in-law Jethro and said, “Please let me go back to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still alive.”

Jethro replied, “Go in peace.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.

21 Then the L told Moses, “When you have returned to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I’ve empowered you to do. But I’ll harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. 22 Then tell Pharaoh: ‘ This is what the L says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you to let my son go so he can serve me. But you refused to release him, so mark this: I will kill your firstborn son!’ ”

24 At a wayside lodging place, the L met Moses and sought to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Now you’re a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So the L let him alone— when, because of the circumcision, she said, “Now you’re a bridegroom of blood to me.”a

27 The L said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he met him at the mountain of God and kissed him.

28 Then Moses told Aaron all the words of the L which he had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron assembled all the Israelite elders, 30 and Aaron told them everythingb the L had said to Moses. And he performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that the L was concerned for the Israelites and had seen their misery, they bowed low and worshiped.

5 Exodus Pharaoh Rebuffs Moses and Increases Israel’s Labor

1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the L, the God of Israel, says, : ‘Let my people go so they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ”

2 Pharaoh responded, “Who is the L that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I don’t know the L, and I won’t let Israel go.”

3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the L our God, or he may strike us with plagues or the sword!”

4 But the king of Egypt asked, “Moses, Aaron, why are you leading the people away from their work? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you stop them from working!” 6 That day Pharaoh gave orders to the slavemasters who were over the people and to their

a The Hebrew of verse 26 is uncertain.

b Literally, “told them all the words.”

Israelite foremen: 7 “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks anymore. Let them gather straw for themselves. 8 But demand the same quota of bricks as before; don’t reduce it. They’re lazy.a That’s why they’re crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 So make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

10 So the slavemasters and their Israelite foremen went out and told the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I’m not giving you straw anymore. 11 Go and get it yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your work will be reduced.’ ” 12 So the people scattered throughout Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slavemasters kept pressing them, saying, “Complete your daily quota, just as when you had supplies of straw.”

14 The Israelite foremen, whom the slavemasters had appointed,b were beaten and were asked, “Why didn’t you meet your brick quota yesterday or today, like before?”

15 So the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet they keep telling us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it’s the fault of your people.”

17 But Pharaoh replied, “You’re lazy! Very lazy! c That’s why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the L.’ 18 Now get to work. You’ll be given no straw, but you must deliver your quota of bricks.”

19 The Israelite foremen saw they were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your daily quota of bricks.”

20 When they left Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, 21 and they said to them, “May the L look upon you and judge you! You have made us repugnant to Pharaohd and his officials and put a sword in their hand to kill us!”

God Promises Deliverance

22 Moses returned to the L and said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble to these people? Why did you send me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to these people, and you haven’t delivered your people at all.”

1 The L said to Moses, “Now you’ll see what I’ll do to Pharaoh: for by a mighty hand he’ll let them go; because of a mighty hand he’ll drive them out of his land!”

2 God told Moses, “I am the L 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai (i e , God Almighty), but I didn’t make myself known to them by my name, the L 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they previously lived as resident foreigners. 5 Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving. And I still remember my covenant with them.

a Or “idle.”

b Literally, “had set over them.”

c Or “You’re idle; idle.”

d Literally, “made our odor stink in the sight of Pharaoh.”

tell the Israelites,

am the L

, and I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians. I will free you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgments. 7 I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the L your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

And I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession; I am the L

So Moses reported this to the Israelites,

they didn’t listen to him because of their broken spirit and years of harsh labor.

Genealogy of Moses and

same Aaron and Moses to whom

army.”

they spoke to Pharaoh

of Egypt about

Clans of Reuben.

Clans of Simeon.

Clans of Levi according to their generations.

Simeon

years.

16 Hanoch Merari

Jemuel Ohad Zohar Gershon

Pallu Carmi Jamin Jakin Shaul Kohath

Jochebed

133 years.

Libni

Hebron

Mahli

Elisheba

Amminadab,

their

and Leah

the Korahites.

Elzaphan

10 Then the L said to Moses, 11 “Go tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites leave his land.”

12 But Moses responded, “The Israelites won’t listen to me. Look, why would Pharaoh listen, especially since I cannot speak acceptably?”a 13 But the L spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

6:14–27 are in “Genealogy of Moses and Aaron” above

Aaron Appointed as Moses’ Spokesperson

28 On the day the L spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the L said to him, “I am the L; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all I tell you.”

30 But Moses said to the L, “I cannot speak acceptably. Look, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”b

Exodus 7

1 The L replied, “Look, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You must say everything I order you to say, and your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites from his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he won’t listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt, and with mighty acts of judgment, I’ll bring my armies—my people the Israelites—out of the land of Egypt. 5 When I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the people of Israel from their midst, the Egyptians will know that I am the L.”

6 Moses and Aaron did so. They did it just as the L commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

8 The L instructed Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Give me a miracle,’ tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’ ”

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the L had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same by their secret arts— 12 each one threw down his staff, and they became snakes. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart, and he wouldn’t listen to them, as the L had said.

a Literally, “I am of uncircumcised lips.” And in verse 30.

b See Exodus 6:12.

1st Plague:a Rivers Become Blood

14 Then the L said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning just as he goes out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake. 16 Tell him, ‘The L, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say: Let my people go, that they can serveb me in the wilderness. Look, up to now you haven’t listened. 17 This is what the L says: By this you will know that I am the L. Listen! With the staff in my hand I’ll strike the Nile water, and it will be turned to blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile will stink. Egyptians will find it difficult to drinkc its water.’ ”

19 And the L continued, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over Egypt’s waters—over the rivers and streams, over the ponds and all their storage places—so that they will become blood. There will be blood throughout Egypt, even in wood and stone containers!’ ”

20 Moses and Aaron did just as the L had commanded. Aaron lifted his staff and struck the Nile water in the sight of Pharaoh and his officials, and all the water in the Nile was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water—and there was blood everywhere in Egypt! 22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the L predicted. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his house and didn’t take even this to heart. 24 So all the Egyptians had to dig along the river to get drinking water, because they couldn’t drink the water of the Nile. 25 And seven days passed after the L struck the Nile.

8 Exodus 2nd Plague: Frogs

1 Then the L ordered Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what the L says: Let my people go, that they can served me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, truly, I’ll plague your whole country with frogs. 3 The Nile will swarm with frogs. They’ll come up into your house and your bedroom and even onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and even into your ovens and kneading bowls. 4 They’ll come upon you, your people, and all your officials!’ ”

5 And the L continued, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and streams and ponds and make the frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’ ” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same thing by their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

a The ten plagues took place over a period of three months to a year.

b Or “can worship.”

c Literally, “be tired of drinking.”

d Or “worship.”