Bible Account – The True Story of Moses
The True Story of Moses
All verses are CEV.
Exodus – Chapters 1-14, 15:1-18
The People of Israel Suffer
1-5When Jacob went to Egypt, his son Joseph was already there. So Jacob took his eleven other sons and their families. They were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Altogether, Jacob had seventy children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren [a] who went with him. 6After Joseph, his brothers, and everyone else in that generation had died, 7the people of Israel became so numerous that the whole region of Goshen was full of them.
8Many years later a new king came to power. He did not know what Joseph had done for Egypt, 9and he told the Egyptians:
There are too many of those Israelites in our country, and they are becoming more powerful than we are. 10If we don’t outsmart them, their families will keep growing larger. And if our country goes to war, they could easily fight on the side of our enemies and escape from Egypt.
11The Egyptians put slave bosses in charge of the people of Israel and tried to wear them down with hard work. Those bosses forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses, [b] where the king [c] could store his supplies. 12But even though the Israelites were mistreated, their families grew larger, and they took over more land. Because of this, the Egyptians hated them worse than before 13and made them work so hard 14that their lives were miserable. The Egyptians were cruel to the people of Israel and forced them to make bricks and to mix mortar and to work in the fields. 15Finally, the king called in Shiphrah and Puah, the two women who helped the Hebrew [d] mothers when they gave birth. 16He told them, ” If a Hebrew woman gives birth to a girl, let the child live. If the baby is a boy, kill him!” 17But the two women were faithful to God and did not kill the boys, even though the king had told them to. 18The king called them in again and asked, ” Why are you letting those baby boys live?”
19They answered, ” Hebrew women have their babies much quicker than Egyptian women. By the time we arrive, their babies are already born.” 20-21God was good to the two women because they truly respected him, and he blessed them with children of their own.
The Hebrews kept increasing 22until finally, the king gave a command to everyone in the nation, ” As soon as a Hebrew boy is born, throw him into the Nile River! But you can let the girls live.”
Moses Is Born
1A man from the Levi tribe married a woman from the same tribe, 2and she later had a baby boy. He was a beautiful child, and she kept him inside for three months. 3But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River. 4The baby’s older sister [e] stood off at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5About that time one of the king’s [f] daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of the young women to pull it out of the water. 6When the king’s daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby and felt sorry for him because he was crying. She said, ” This must be one of the Hebrew babies.” 7At once the baby’s older sister came up and asked, ” Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you?”
8” Yes,” the king’s daughter answered.
So the girl brought the baby’s mother, 9and the king’s daughter told her, ” Take care of this child, and I will pay you.”
The baby’s mother carried him home and took care of him. 10And when he was old enough, she took him to the king’s daughter, who adopted him. She named him Moses [g] because she said, ” I pulled him out of the water.”
Moses Escapes from Egypt
11After Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were hard at work, and he saw an Egyptian beating one of them. 12Moses looked around to see if anyone was watching, then he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13When Moses went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting. So he went to the man who had started the fight and asked, ” Why are you beating up one of your own people?”
14The man answered, ” Who put you in charge of us and made you our judge? Are you planning to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian?”
This frightened Moses because he was sure that people must have found out what had happened. 15When the king [h] heard what Moses had done, the king wanted to kill him. But Moses escaped and went to the land of Midian. One day, Moses was sitting there by a well, 16when the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, [i] came up to water their father’s sheep and goats. 17Some shepherds tried to chase them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their animals. 18When Jethro’s daughters returned home, their father asked, ” Why have you come back so early today?” 19They answered, ” An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, and he even watered our sheep and goats.”
20” Where is he?” Jethro asked. ” Why did you leave him out there? Invite him to eat with us.”
21Moses agreed to stay on with Jethro, who later let his daughter Zipporah marry Moses. 22And when she had a son, Moses said, ” I will name him Gershom, [j] since I am a foreigner in this country.” 23After the death of the king of Egypt, the Israelites still complained because they were forced to be slaves. They cried out for help, 24and God heard their loud cries. He did not forget the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 25and because he knew what was happening to his people, he felt sorry for them.
God Speaks to Moses
1One day, Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Moses decided to lead them across the desert to Sinai, [k] the holy mountain. 2There an angel of the LORD appeared to him from a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. 3” This is strange!” he said to himself. ” I’ll go over and see why the bush isn’t burning up.” 4When the LORD saw Moses coming near the bush, he called him by name, and Moses answered, ” Here I am.”
5God replied, ” Don’t come any closer. Take off your sandals–the ground where you are standing is holy. 6I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face.
7The LORD said:
I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them, 8and I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians.
I will bring my people out of Egypt into a country where there is good land, rich with milk and honey. I will give them the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9My people have begged for my help, and I have seen how cruel the Egyptians are to them. 10Now go to the king! I am sending you to lead my people out of his country.
11But Moses said, ” Who am I to go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?”
12God replied, ” I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt.” [l]13Moses answered, ” I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?”
14-15God said to Moses:
I am the eternal God. So tell them that the LORD, [m] whose name is ” I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on. 16Call together the leaders of Israel and tell them that the God who was worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you. Tell them I have seen how terribly they are being treated in Egypt, 17and I promise to lead them out of their troubles. I will give them a land rich with milk and honey, where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
18The leaders of Israel will listen to you. Then you must take them to the king of Egypt and say, ” The LORD God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us walk three days into the desert, where we can offer a sacrifice to him.” 19But I know that the king of Egypt won’t let you go unless something forces him to. 20So I will use my mighty power to perform all kinds of miracles and strike down the Egyptians. Then the king will send you away.
21After I punish the Egyptians, they will be so afraid of you that they will give you anything you want. You are my people, and I will let you take many things with you when you leave the land of Egypt. 22Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors or to any Egyptian woman living in her house. She will ask them for gold and silver jewelry and for their finest clothes. The Egyptians will give them to you, and you will put these fine things on your sons and daughters. You will carry all this away when you leave Egypt.
The LORD Gives Great Power to Moses
1Moses asked the LORD, ” Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?”
2The LORD answered, ” What’s that in your hand?”
” A walking stick,” Moses replied.
3” Throw it down!” the LORD commanded. So Moses threw the stick on the ground. It immediately turned into a snake, and Moses jumped back.
4” Pick it up by the tail!” the LORD told him. And when Moses did this, the snake turned back into a walking stick.
5” Do this,” the LORD said, ” and the Israelites will believe that you have seen me, the God who was worshiped by their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
6Next, the LORD commanded Moses, ” Put your hand inside your shirt.” Moses obeyed, and when he took it out, his hand had turned white as snow–like someone with leprosy. [n]7” Put your hand back inside your shirt,” the LORD told him. Moses did so, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.
8-9Then the LORD said, ” If no one believes either of these miracles, take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the ground. The water will immediately turn into blood.”
10Moses replied, ” I have never been a good speaker. I wasn’t one before you spoke to me, and I’m not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say.”
11But the LORD answered, ” Who makes people able to speak or makes them deaf or unable to speak? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Don’t you know that I am the one who does these things? 12Now go! When you speak, I will be with you and give you the words to say.”
13Moses begged, ” LORD, please send someone else to do it.”
14The LORD became irritated with Moses and said:
What about your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know he is a good speaker. He is already on his way here to visit you, and he will be happy to see you again. 15-16Aaron will speak to the people for you, and you will be like me, telling Aaron what to say. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will tell each of you what to do. 17Now take this walking stick and use it to perform miracles.
Moses Returns to Egypt
18Moses went to his father-in-law Jethro and asked, ” Please let me return to Egypt to see if any of my people are still alive.”
” All right,” Jethro replied. ” I hope all goes well.”
19But even before this, the LORD had told Moses, ” Leave the land of Midian and return to Egypt. Everyone who wanted to kill you is dead.” 20So Moses put his wife and sons on donkeys and headed for Egypt, holding the walking stick that had the power of God.
21On the way the LORD said to Moses:
When you get to Egypt, go to the king and work the miracles I have shown you. But I will make him so stubborn that he will refuse to let my people go. 22Then tell him that I have said, ” Israel is my first-born son, 23and I commanded you to release him, so he could worship me. But you refused, and now I will kill your first-born son.”
Zipporah’s Son Is Circumcised
24One night while Moses was in camp, the LORD was about to kill him. 25But Zipporah [o] circumcised her son with a flint knife. She touched his [p] legs with the skin she had cut off and said, ” My dear son, this blood will protect you.” [q]26So the LORD did not harm Moses. Then Zipporah said, ” Yes, my dear, you are safe because of this circumcision.” [r]
Aaron Is Sent To Meet Moses
27The LORD sent Aaron to meet Moses in the desert. So Aaron met Moses at Mount Sinai [s] and greeted him with a kiss. 28Moses told Aaron what God had sent him to say; he also told him about the miracles God had given him the power to perform. 29Later they brought together the leaders of Israel, 30and Aaron told them what the LORD had sent Moses to say. Then Moses worked the miracles for the people, 31and everyone believed. They bowed down and worshiped the LORD because they knew that he had seen their suffering and was going to help them.
Moses and Aaron Go to the King of Egypt
1Moses and Aaron went to the king [t] of Egypt and told him, ” The LORD God says, Let my people go into the desert, so they can honor me with a celebration there. ” 2” Who is this LORD and why should I obey him?” the king replied. ” I refuse to let you and your people go!”
3They answered, ” The LORD God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Please let us walk three days into the desert where we can offer sacrifices to him. If you don’t, he may strike us down with terrible troubles or with war.”
4-5The king said, ” Moses and Aaron, why are you keeping these people from working? Look how many you are keeping from doing their work. Now everyone get back to work!”
6That same day the king gave orders to his slave bosses and to the men directly in charge of the Israelite slaves. He told them:
7Don’t give the slaves any more straw [u] to put in their bricks. Force them to find their own straw wherever they can, 8but they must make the same number of bricks as before. They are lazy, or else they would not beg me to let them go and sacrifice to their God. 9Make them work so hard that they won’t have time to listen to these lies. 10The slave bosses and the men in charge of the slaves went out and told them, ” The king says he will not give you any more straw. 11Go and find your own straw wherever you can, but you must still make as many bricks as before.”
12The slaves went all over Egypt, looking for straw. 13But the slave bosses were hard on them and kept saying, ” Each day you have to make as many bricks as you did when you were given straw.” 14The bosses beat the men in charge of the slaves and said, ” Why didn’t you force the slaves to make as many bricks yesterday and today as they did before?”
15Finally, the men in charge of the slaves went to the king and said, ” Why are you treating us like this? 16No one brings us any straw, but we are still ordered to make the same number of bricks. We are beaten with whips, and your own people are to blame.”
17The king replied, ” You are lazy–nothing but lazy! That’s why you keep asking me to let you go and sacrifice to your LORD. 18Get back to work! You won’t be given straw, but you must still make the same number of bricks.”
19The men knew they were in deep trouble when they were ordered to make the same number of bricks each day. 20After they left the king, they went to see Moses and Aaron, who had been waiting for them. 21Then the men said, ” We hope the LORD will punish both of you for making the king and his officials hate us. Now they even have an excuse to kill us.”
The LORD’s Promise to Moses
22Moses left them and prayed, ” Our LORD, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here? 23Ever since you told me to speak to the king, [v] he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven’t done a thing to help.”
1The LORD God told Moses:
Soon you will see what I will do to the king. Because of my mighty power, he will let my people go, and he will even chase them out of his country.
2My name is the LORD. [w]3But when I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I came as God All-Powerful and did not use my name. 4I made an agreement and promised them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. 5Now I have seen how the people of Israel are suffering because of the Egyptians, and I will keep my promise. 6Here is my message for Israel: ” I am the LORD! And with my mighty power I will punish the Egyptians and free you from slavery. 7I will accept you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I was the one who rescued you from the Egyptians. 8I will bring you into the land that I solemnly promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it will be yours. I am the LORD!”
9When Moses told this to the Israelites, they were too discouraged and mistreated to believe him.
10Then the LORD told Moses 11to demand that the king of Egypt let the Israelites leave. 12But Moses replied, ” I’m not a powerful speaker. If the Israelites won’t listen to me, why should the king of Egypt?” 13But the LORD sent Aaron and Moses with a message for the Israelites and for the king; he also ordered Aaron and Moses to free the people from Egypt.
Family Record of Aaron and Moses
14The following men were the heads of their ancestral clans:
The sons of Reuben, Jacob’s [x] oldest son, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 15The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
16Levi lived to be one hundred thirty-seven; his sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
17Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei.
18Kohath lived to be one hundred thirty-three; his sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. All of the above were from the Levi tribe.
20Amram lived to be one hundred thirty-seven. He married his father’s sister Jochebed, and they had two sons, Aaron and Moses.
21Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon; they had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24Korah’s sons were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph.
25Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of Putiel’s daughters, and their son was Phinehas. This ends the list of those who were the heads of clans in the Levi tribe.
26The LORD had commanded Aaron and Moses to lead every family and tribe of Israel out of Egypt, 27and so they ordered the king of Egypt to set the people of Israel free.
The LORD Commands Moses and Aaron To Speak to the King
28When the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29he said, ” I am the LORD. Tell the king [y] of Egypt everything I say to you.”
30But Moses answered, ” You know I am a very poor speaker, and the king will never listen to me.”
1The LORD said:
I am going to let your brother Aaron speak for you. He will tell your message to the king, just as a prophet speaks my message to the people. 2Tell Aaron everything I say to you, and he will order the king to let my people leave his country. 3-4But I will make the king so stubborn that he won’t listen to you. He won’t listen even when I do many terrible things to him and his nation. Then I will bring a final punishment on Egypt, and the king will let Israel’s families and tribes go. 5When this happens, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.
6Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD 7and spoke to the king. At the time, Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three.
A Stick Turns into a Snake
8-9The LORD said, ” Moses, when the king asks you and Aaron to perform a miracle, command Aaron to throw his walking stick down in front of the king, and it will turn into a snake.”
10Moses and Aaron went to the king and his officials and did exactly as the LORD had commanded–Aaron threw the stick down, and it turned into a snake. 11Then the king called in the wise men and the magicians, who used their secret powers to do the same thing– 12they threw down sticks that turned into snakes. But Aaron’s snake swallowed theirs. 13The king behaved just as the LORD had said and stubbornly refused to listen.
The Nile River Turns into Blood
14The LORD said to Moses:
The Egyptian king stubbornly refuses to change his mind and let the people go. 15Tomorrow morning take the stick that turned into a snake, then wait beside the Nile River for the king. 16Tell him, ” The LORD God of the Hebrews sent me to order you to release his people, so they can worship him in the desert. But until now, you have paid no attention.
17” The LORD is going to do something to show you that he really is the LORD. I will strike the Nile with this stick, and the water will turn into blood. 18The fish will die, the river will stink, and none of you Egyptians will be able to drink the water.”
19Moses, then command Aaron to hold his stick over the water. And when he does, every drop of water in Egypt will turn into blood, including rivers, canals, ponds, and even the water in buckets and jars.
20Moses and Aaron obeyed the LORD. Aaron held out his stick, then struck the Nile, as the king and his officials watched. The river turned into blood, 21the fish died, and the water smelled so bad that none of the Egyptians could drink it. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22But the Egyptian magicians used their secret powers to do the same thing. The king did just as the LORD had said–he stubbornly refused to listen. 23Then he went back to his palace and never gave it a second thought. 24The Egyptians had to dig holes along the banks of the Nile for drinking water, because water from the river was unfit to drink.
Frogs
25Seven days after the LORD had struck the Nile,
1he said to Moses:
Go to the palace and tell the king of Egypt that I order him to let my people go, so they can worship me. 2If he refuses, I will cover his entire country with frogs. 3Warn the king that the Nile will be full of frogs, and from there they will spread into the royal palace, including the king’s bedroom and even his bed. Frogs will enter the homes of his officials and will find their way into ovens and into the bowls of bread dough. 4Frogs will be crawling on everyone–the king, his officials, and every citizen of Egypt.
5Moses, now command Aaron to hold his stick over the water. Then frogs will come from all rivers, canals, and ponds in Egypt, and they will cover the land.
6Aaron obeyed, and suddenly frogs were everywhere in Egypt. 7But the magicians used their secret powers to do the same thing.
8The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, ” If you ask the LORD to take these frogs away from me and my people, I will let your people go and offer sacrifices to him.”
9” All right,” Moses answered. ” You choose the time when I am to pray for the frogs to stop bothering you, your officials, and your people, and for them to leave your houses and be found only in the river.”
10” Do it tomorrow!” the king replied.
” As you wish,” Moses agreed. ” Then everyone will discover that there is no god like the LORD, 11and frogs will no longer be found anywhere, except in the Nile.”
12After Moses and Aaron left the palace, Moses begged the LORD to do something about the frogs he had sent as punishment for the king. 13The LORD listened to Moses, and frogs died everywhere–in houses, yards, and fields. 14The dead frogs were placed in piles, and the whole country began to stink. 15But when the king saw that things were now better, he again did just as the LORD had said and stubbornly refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.
Gnats
16The LORD said to Moses, ” Command Aaron to strike the ground with his walking stick, and everywhere in Egypt the dust will turn into gnats.” 17They obeyed, and when Aaron struck the ground with the stick, gnats started swarming on people and animals. In fact, every speck of dust in Egypt turned into a gnat. 18When the magicians tried to use their secret powers to do this, [z] they failed, and gnats stayed on people and animals. 19The magicians told the king, [aa] ” God has done this.” But, as the LORD had said, the king was too stubborn to listen.
Flies
20The LORD said to Moses:
Early tomorrow morning, while the king is on his way to the river, go and say to him, ” The LORD commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. 21If you don’t, he will send swarms of flies to attack you, your officials, and every citizen of your country. Houses will be full of flies, and the ground will crawl with them.
22-23” The LORD’s people in Goshen won’t be bothered by flies, but your people in the rest of the country will be tormented by them. That’s how you will know that the LORD is here in Egypt. This miracle will happen tomorrow.”
24The LORD kept his promise–the palace and the homes of the royal officials swarmed with flies, and the rest of the country was infested with them as well. 25Then the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, ” Go sacrifice to your God, but stay here in Egypt.”
26” That’s impossible!” Moses replied. ” Any sacrifices we offer to the LORD our God would disgust the Egyptians, and they would stone us to death. 27No indeed! The LORD has ordered us to walk three days into the desert before offering sacrifices to him, and that’s what we have to do.”
28Then the king told him, ” I’ll let you go into the desert to offer sacrifices, if you don’t go very far. But in the meantime, pray for me.”
29” Your Majesty,” Moses replied, ” I’ll pray for you as soon as I leave, and by tomorrow the flies will stop bothering you, your officials, and the citizens of your country. Only make sure that you’re telling the truth this time and that you really intend to let our people offer sacrifices to the LORD.”
30After leaving the palace, Moses prayed, 31and the LORD answered his prayer. Not a fly was left to pester the king, his officials, or anyone else in Egypt. 32But the king turned stubborn again and would not let the people go.
Dead Animals
1The LORD sent Moses with this message for the king of Egypt:
The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him. 2If you keep refusing, 3he will bring a terrible disease on your horses and donkeys, your camels and cattle, and your sheep and goats. 4But the LORD will protect the animals that belong to the people of Israel, and none of theirs will die. 5Tomorrow is the day the LORD has set to do this.
6It happened the next day–all of the animals belonging to the Egyptians died, but the Israelites did not lose even one. 7When the king found out, he was still too stubborn to let the people go.
Sores
8The LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
Take a few handfuls of ashes from a stove and have Moses throw them into the air. Be sure the king is watching. 9The ashes will blow across the land of Egypt, causing sores to break out on people and animals.
10So they took a few handfuls of ashes and went to the king. [ab] Moses threw them into the air, and sores immediately broke out on the Egyptians and their animals. 11The magicians were suffering so much from the sores, that they could not even come to Moses. 12Everything happened just as the LORD had told Moses–he made the king too stubborn to listen to Moses and Aaron.
Hailstones
13The LORD told Moses to get up early the next morning and say to the king:
The LORD God of the Hebrews commands you to let his people go, so they can worship him! 14If you don’t, he will send his worst plagues to strike you, your officials, and everyone else in your country. Then you will find out that no one can oppose the LORD. 15In fact, he could already have sent a terrible disease and wiped you from the face of the earth. 16But he has kept you alive, just to show you his power and to bring honor to himself everywhere in the world.
17You are still determined not to let the LORD’s people go. 18All right. At this time tomorrow, he will bring on Egypt the worst hailstorm in its history. 19You had better give orders for every person and every animal in Egypt to take shelter. If they don’t, they will die.
20Some of the king’s officials were frightened by what the LORD had said, and they hurried off to make sure their slaves and animals were safe. 21But others paid no attention to his threats and left their slaves and animals out in the open.
22Then the LORD told Moses, ” Stretch your arm toward the sky, so that hailstones will fall on people, animals, and crops in the land of Egypt.” 23-24Moses pointed his walking stick toward the sky, and hailstones started falling everywhere. Thunder roared, and lightning flashed back and forth, striking the ground. This was the worst storm in the history of Egypt. 25People, animals, and crops were pounded by the hailstones, and bark was stripped from trees. 26Only Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was safe from the storm.
27The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, ” Now I have really sinned! My people and I are guilty, and the LORD is right. 28We can’t stand any more of this thunder and hail. Please ask the LORD to make it stop. Your people can go–you don’t have to stay in Egypt any longer.”
29Moses answered, ” As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my arms in prayer. When the thunder and hail stop, you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD. 30But I am certain that neither you nor your officials really fear the LORD God.”
31Meanwhile, the flax and barley crops had been destroyed by the storm because they were ready to ripen. 32But the wheat crops ripen later, and they were not damaged.
33After Moses left the royal palace and the city, he lifted his arms in prayer to the LORD, and the thunder, hail, and drenching rain stopped. 34When the king realized that the storm was over, he disobeyed once more. He and his officials were so stubborn 35that he refused to let the Israelites go. This was exactly what the LORD had said would happen.
Locusts
1The LORD said to Moses:
Go back to the king. [ac] I have made him and his officials stubborn, so that I could work these miracles. 2I did this because I want you to tell your children and your grandchildren about my miracles and about my harsh treatment of the Egyptians. Then all of you will know that I am the LORD. 3Moses and Aaron went to the king and told him that the LORD God of the Hebrews had said:
How long will you stubbornly refuse to obey? Release my people so they can worship me. 4Do this by tomorrow, or I will cover your country with so many locusts [ad]5that you won’t be able to see the ground. Most of your crops were ruined by the hailstones, but these locusts will destroy what little is left, including the trees. 6Your palace, the homes of your officials, and all other houses in Egypt will overflow with more locusts than have ever been seen in this country. After Moses left the palace, 7the king’s officials asked, ” Your Majesty, how much longer is this man going to be a troublemaker? Why don’t you let the people leave, so they can worship the LORD their God? Don’t you know that Egypt is a disaster?”
8The king had Moses and Aaron brought back, and he said, ” All right, you may go and worship the LORD your God. But first tell me who will be going.”
9” Everyone, young and old,” Moses answered. ” We will even take our sheep, goats, and cattle, because we want to hold a celebration in honor of the LORD.”
10The king replied, ” The LORD had better watch over you on the day I let you leave with your families! You’re up to no good. 11Do you want to worship the LORD? All right, take only the men and go.” Then Moses and Aaron were chased out of the palace.
12The LORD told Moses, ” Stretch your arm toward Egypt. Swarms of locusts will come and eat everything left by the hail.”
13Moses held out his walking stick, and the LORD sent an east wind that blew across Egypt the rest of the day and all that night. By morning, locusts 14were swarming everywhere. Never before had there been so many locusts in Egypt, and never again will there be so many. 15The ground was black with locusts, and they ate everything left on the trees and in the fields. Nothing green remained in Egypt–not a tree or a plant.
16At once the king sent for Moses and Aaron. He told them, ” I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17Forgive me one more time and ask the LORD to stop these insects from killing every living plant.”
18Moses left the palace and prayed. 19Then the LORD sent a strong west wind [ae] that swept the locusts into the Red Sea. [af] Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt, 20but the LORD made the king so stubborn that he still refused to let the Israelites go.
Darkness
21The LORD said to Moses, ” Stretch your arm toward the sky, and everything will be covered with darkness thick enough to touch.” 22Moses stretched his arm toward the sky, and Egypt was covered with darkness for three days. 23During that time, the Egyptians could not see each other or leave their homes, but there was light where the Israelites lived.
24The king [ag] sent for Moses and told him, ” Go worship the LORD! And take your families with you. Just leave your sheep, goats, and cattle.” 25” No!” Moses replied. ” You must let us offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, 26and we won’t know which animals we will need until we get there. That’s why we can’t leave even one of them here.”
27This time the LORD made the king so stubborn 28that he said to Moses, ” Get out and stay out! If you ever come back, you’re dead!”
29” Have it your way,” Moses answered. ” You won’t see me again.”
Moses Warns the Egyptians That the LORD Will Kill Their First-Born Sons
1The LORD said to Moses:
I am going to punish the king [ah] of Egypt and his people one more time. Then the king will gladly let you leave his land, so that I will stop punishing the Egyptians. He will even chase you out. 2Now go and tell my people to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver jewelry. 3So the LORD made the Egyptians greatly respect the Israelites, and everyone, including the king and his officials, considered Moses an important leader.
4Moses went to the king and said:
I have come to let you know what the LORD is going to do. About midnight he will go through the land of Egypt, 5and wherever he goes, the first-born son in every family will die. Your own son will die, and so will the son of the lowest slave woman. Even the first-born males of cattle will die. 6Everywhere in Egypt there will be loud crying. Nothing like this has ever happened before or will ever happen again.
7But there won’t be any need for the Israelites to cry. Things will be so quiet that not even a dog will be heard barking. Then you Egyptians will know that the LORD is good to the Israelites, even while he punishes you. 8Your leaders will come and bow down, begging me to take my people and leave your country. Then we will leave.
Moses was very angry; he turned and left the king.
9What the LORD had earlier said to Moses came true. He had said, ” The king of Egypt won’t listen. Then I will perform even more miracles.” 10So the king of Egypt saw Moses and Aaron work miracles, but the LORD made him stubbornly refuse to let the Israelites leave his country.
The Passover
1Some time later the LORD said to Moses and Aaron:
2This month is to be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell the people of Israel that on the tenth day of this month the head of each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for his family to eat. 4-5If any family is too small to eat the whole animal, they must share it with their next-door neighbors. Choose either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a one-year-old male that has nothing wrong with it. And it must be large enough for everyone to have some of the meat.
6Each family must take care of its animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, when the animals are to be killed. 7Some of the blood must be put on the two doorposts and above the door of each house where the animals are to be eaten. 8That night the animals are to be roasted and eaten, together with bitter herbs and thin bread made without yeast. 9Don’t eat the meat raw or boiled. The entire animal, including its head, legs, and insides, must be roasted. 10Eat what you want that night, and the next morning burn whatever is left. 11When you eat the meal, be dressed and ready to travel. Have your sandals on, carry your walking stick in your hand, and eat quickly. This is the Passover Festival in honor of me, your LORD.
12That same night I will pass through Egypt and kill the first-born son in every family and the first-born male of all animals. I am the LORD, and I will punish the gods of Egypt. 13The blood on the houses will show me where you live, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Then you won’t be bothered by the terrible disasters I will bring on Egypt.
14Remember this day and celebrate it each year as a festival in my honor. 15For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. And on the first of these seven days, you must remove all yeast from your homes. If you eat anything made with yeast during this festival, you will no longer be part of Israel. 16Meet together for worship on the first and seventh days of the festival. The only work you are allowed to do on either of these two days is that of preparing the bread.
17Celebrate this Festival of Thin Bread as a way of remembering the day that I brought your families and tribes out of Egypt. And do this each year. 18Begin on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month by eating bread made without yeast. Then continue this celebration until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19During these seven days no yeast is allowed in anyone’s home, whether they are native Israelites or not. If you are caught eating anything made with yeast, you will no longer be part of Israel. 20Stay away from yeast, no matter where you live. No one is allowed to eat anything made with yeast!
21Moses called the leaders of Israel together and said:
Each family is to pick out a sheep and kill it for Passover. 22Make a brush from a few small branches of a hyssop plant and dip the brush in the bowl that has the blood of the animal in it. Then brush some of the blood above the door and on the posts at each side of the door of your house. After this, everyone is to stay inside.
23During that night the LORD will go through the country of Egypt and kill the first-born son in every Egyptian family. He will see where you have put the blood, and he will not come into your house. His angel that brings death will pass over and not kill your first-born sons.
24-25After you have entered the country promised to you by the LORD, you and your children must continue to celebrate Passover each year. 26Your children will ask you, ” What are we celebrating?” 27And you will answer, ” The Passover animal is killed to honor the LORD. We do these things because on that night long ago the LORD passed over the homes of our people in Egypt. He killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians, but he saved our children from death.”
After Moses finished speaking, the people of Israel knelt down and worshiped the LORD. 28Then they left and did what Moses and Aaron had told them to do.
Death for the First-Born Sons
29At midnight the LORD killed the first-born son of every Egyptian family, from the son of the king [ai] to the son of every prisoner in jail. He also killed the first-born male of every animal that belonged to the Egyptians. 30That night the king, his officials, and everyone else in Egypt got up and started crying bitterly. In every Egyptian home, someone was dead.
The People of Israel Escape from Egypt
31During the night the king [aj] sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, ” Get your people out of my country and leave us alone! Go and worship the LORD, as you have asked. 32Take your sheep, goats, and cattle, and get out. But ask your God to be kind to me.” 33The Egyptians did everything they could to get the Israelites to leave their country fast. They said, ” Please hurry and leave. If you don’t, we will all be dead.” 34So the Israelites quickly made some bread dough and put it in pans. But they did not mix any yeast in the dough to make it rise. They wrapped cloth around the pans and carried them on their shoulders.
35The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them to do. They had gone to their Egyptian neighbors and asked for gold and silver and for clothes. 36The LORD had made the Egyptians friendly toward the people of Israel, and they gave them whatever they asked for. In this way they carried away the wealth of the Egyptians when they left Egypt.
37The Israelites walked from the city of Rameses to the city of Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand of them, not counting women and children. 38Many other people went with them as well, and there were also a lot of sheep, goats, and cattle. 39They left Egypt in such a hurry that they did not have time to prepare any food except the bread dough made without yeast. So they baked it and made thin bread.
40-41The LORD’s people left Egypt exactly four hundred thirty years after they had arrived. 42On that night the LORD kept watch for them, and on this same night each year Israel will always keep watch in honor of the LORD.
Instructions for Passover
43The LORD gave Moses and Aaron the following instructions for celebrating Passover:
No one except Israelites may eat the Passover meal.
44Your slaves may eat the meal if they have been circumcised, 45but no foreigners who work for you are allowed to have any.
46The entire meal must be eaten inside, and no one may leave the house during the celebration.
No bones of the Passover lamb may be broken. 47And all Israelites must take part in the meal.
48If anyone who isn’t an Israelite wants to celebrate Passover with you, every man and boy in that family must first be circumcised. Then they may join in the meal, just like native Israelites. No uncircumcised man or boy may eat the Passover meal! 49This law applies both to native Israelites and to those foreigners who live among you.
50The Israelites obeyed everything the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron to tell them. 51And on that same day the LORD brought Israel’s families and tribes out of Egypt.
Dedication of the First-Born
1The LORD said to Moses, 2” Dedicate to me the first-born son of every family and the first-born males of your flocks and herds. These belong to me.”
The Festival of Thin Bread
3-4Moses said to the people:
Remember this day in the month of Abib. [ak] It is the day when the LORD’s mighty power rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Do not eat anything made with yeast. 5The LORD promised your ancestors that he would bring you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. It is a land rich with milk and honey. Each year during the month of Abib, celebrate these events in the following way: 6For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day you are to celebrate a festival in honor of the LORD. 7During those seven days, you must not eat anything made with yeast or even have yeast anywhere near your homes. 8Then on the seventh day you must explain to your children that you do this because the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
9This celebration will be like wearing a sign on your hand or on your forehead, because then you will pass on to others the teaching of the LORD, whose mighty power brought you out of Egypt. 10Celebrate this festival each year at the same time.
11The LORD will give you the land of the Canaanites, just as he promised you and your ancestors. 12From then on, you must give him every first-born son from your families and every first-born male from your animals, because these belong to him. 13You can save the life of a first-born donkey [al] by sacrificing a lamb; if you don’t, you must break the donkey’s neck. You must save every first-born son. 14In the future your children will ask what this ceremony means. Explain it to them by saying, ” The LORD used his mighty power to rescue us from slavery in Egypt. 15The king [am] stubbornly refused to set us free, so the LORD killed the first-born male of every animal and the first-born son of every Egyptian family. This is why we sacrifice to the LORD every first-born male of every animal and save every first-born son.” 16This ceremony will serve the same purpose as a sign on your hand or on your forehead to tell how the LORD’s mighty power rescued us from Egypt.
The LORD Leads His People
17After the king [an] had finally let the people go, the LORD did not lead them through Philistine territory, [ao] though that was the shortest way. God had said, ” If they are attacked, they may decide to return to Egypt.” 18So he led them around through the desert and toward the Red Sea. [ap] The Israelites left Egypt, prepared for battle.
19Moses had them take along the bones of Joseph, whose dying words had been, ” God will come to your rescue, and when he does, be sure to take along my bones.”
20The people of Israel left Succoth and camped at Etham at the border of Egypt near the desert. 21-22During the day the LORD went ahead of his people in a thick cloud, and during the night he went ahead of them in a flaming fire. That way the LORD could lead them at all times, whether day or night.
The Israelites Cross the Red Sea
1At Etham the LORD said to Moses:
2Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp across from Pi-Hahiroth near Baal-Zephon, between Migdol and the Red Sea. [aq]3The king [ar] will think they were afraid to cross the desert and that they are wandering around, trying to find another way to leave the country. 4I will make the king stubborn again, and he will try to catch you. Then I will destroy him and his army. People everywhere will praise me for my victory, and the Egyptians will know that I really am the LORD. The Israelites obeyed the LORD and camped where he told them.
5When the king of Egypt heard that the Israelites had finally left, he and his officials changed their minds and said, ” Look what we have done! We let them get away, and they will no longer be our slaves.”
6The king got his war chariot and army ready. 7He commanded his officers in charge of his six hundred best chariots and all his other chariots to start after the Israelites. 8The LORD made the king so stubborn that he went after them, even though the Israelites proudly [as] went on their way. 9But the king’s horses and chariots and soldiers caught up with them while they were camping by the Red Sea near Pi-Hahiroth and Baal-Zephon. 10When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the LORD for help. 11They also complained to Moses, ” Wasn’t there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway? 12While we were there, didn’t we tell you to leave us alone? We had rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!”
13But Moses answered, ” Don’t be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the LORD save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again. 14The LORD will fight for you, and you won’t have to do a thing.”
15The LORD said to Moses, ” Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward. 16Then hold your walking stick over the sea. The water will open up and make a road where they can walk through on dry ground. 17I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go after you. Then I will be praised because of what happens to the king and his chariots and cavalry. 18The Egyptians will know for sure that I am the LORD.”
19All this time God’s angel had gone ahead of Israel’s army, but now he moved behind them. A large cloud had also gone ahead of them, 20but now it moved between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud gave light to the Israelites, but made it dark for the Egyptians, and during the night they could not come any closer.
21Moses stretched his arm over the sea, and the LORD sent a strong east wind that blew all night until there was dry land where the water had been. The sea opened up, 22and the Israelites walked through on dry land with a wall of water on each side.
23The Egyptian chariots and cavalry went after them. 24But before daylight the LORD looked down at the Egyptian army from the fiery cloud and made them panic. 25Their chariot wheels got stuck, [at] and it was hard for them to move. So the Egyptians said to one another, ” Let’s leave these people alone! The LORD is on their side and is fighting against us.” 26The LORD told Moses, ” Stretch your arm toward the sea–the water will cover the Egyptians and their cavalry and chariots.” 27Moses stretched out his arm, and at daybreak the water rushed toward the Egyptians. They tried to run away, but the LORD drowned them in the sea. 28The water came and covered the chariots, the cavalry, and the whole Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them was left alive. 29But the sea had made a wall of water on each side of the Israelites; so they walked through on dry land.
30On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the LORD had saved them. 31Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses.
The Song of Moses
1Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the LORD:
I sing praises to the LORD
for his great victory!
He has thrown the horses
and their riders
into the sea.
2The LORD is my strength,
the reason for my song,
because he has saved me.
I praise and honor the LORD–
he is my God
and the God
of my ancestors.
3The LORD is his name,
and he is a warrior!
4He threw the chariots and army
of Egypt’s king [au] into the Red Sea, [av] and he drowned the best
of the king’s officers.
5They sank to the bottom
just like stones.
6With the tremendous force
of your right arm, our LORD,
you crushed your enemies.
7What a great victory was yours,
as you defeated everyone
who opposed you.
Your fiery anger wiped them out,
as though they were straw.
8You were so furious
that the sea piled up
like a wall,
and the ocean depths
curdled like cheese.
9Your enemies boasted
that they would
pursue and capture us,
divide up our possessions,
treat us as they wished,
then take out their swords
and kill us right there.
10But when you got furious,
they sank like lead,
swallowed by ocean waves.
11Our LORD, no other gods
compare with you–
Majestic and holy!
Fearsome and glorious!
Miracle worker!
12When you signaled
with your right hand,
your enemies were swallowed
deep into the earth.
13The people you rescued
were led by your powerful love
to your holy place.
14Nations learned of this
and trembled–
Philistines shook with horror.
15The leaders of Edom and of Moab
were terrified.
Everyone in Canaan fainted,
16struck down by fear.
Our LORD, your powerful arm
kept them still as a rock
until the people you rescued
for your very own
had marched by.
17You will let your people settle
on your chosen mountain,
where you built your home
and your temple.
18Our LORD, you will rule forever!