Exodus 3

1Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock beyond the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb.

2Then the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

3Then Moses said, “Let me turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned up.”

4When Yahweh saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

5Then he said, “Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

6Then he said, “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, because he was afraid to look at God.

7Then Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their oppressors, for I know their sufferings.”

8And I have come down to deliver him from the hand of Egypt and to bring him up from that land to a good and broad land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

9And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

10And now, come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.

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

12And he said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this will be the sign for you that I have sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”

13Then Moses said to God, “Look, when I come to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: Yahweh, 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 my memorial from generation to generation.”

16Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me, saying: “I have surely attended to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.”’

17And I have said, ‘I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—to a land flowing with milk and honey.’

18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. And now, please let us go a journey of three days into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’

19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a strong hand.

20And I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do in its midst; and after that he will send you out.

21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and when you go, you will not go empty-handed.

22Each woman shall ask from her neighbor and from the woman staying in her house articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you will plunder Egypt.