EXODUS 1

1:1 ¶ Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household:
1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
1:3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
1:4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
1:5 And all the persons who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy in number, but Joseph was already in Egypt.
1:6 And Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
1:7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
1:8 ¶ Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
1:9 And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
1:10 "Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land."
1:11 So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.
1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.
1:13 And the Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;
1:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.
1:15 ¶ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah;
1:16 and he said, "When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.
1:18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?"
1:19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and they give birth before the midwife can get to them."
1:20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
1:21 And it came about because the midwives feared God, that He established households for them.
1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive."

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EXODUS 2

2:1 ¶ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took for a wife a daughter of Levi.
2:2 And the woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
2:3 And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the reeds by the river's brink.
2:4 And his sister stood afar off to learn what would be done to him.
2:5 ¶ And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her maidens walked along by the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to fetch it.
2:6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child; and behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
2:7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?"
2:8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." And the maid went and called the child's mother.
2:9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, "Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses that is, Drawn out, and she said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
2:11 ¶ And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
2:13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together; and he said to him that did the wrong, "Why smitest thou thy fellow?"
2:14 And he said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killed the Egyptian?" And Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known."
2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
2:16 ¶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
2:17 And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that ye have come so soon today?"
2:19 And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock."
2:20 And he said unto his daughters, "And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."
2:21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
2:22 And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom that is, A stranger there; for he said, "I have been a stranger in a strange land."
2:23 ¶ And it came to pass in process of time that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried; and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
2:24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God took heed of them.

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EXODUS 3

3:1 ¶ Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3:3 And Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."
3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses." And he said, "Here am I."
3:5 And He said, "Draw not nigh hither. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
3:6 Moreover He said, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
3:7 ¶ And the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
3:8 And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
3:9 Now therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel hath come unto Me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
3:11 ¶ And Moses said unto God, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
3:12 And He said, "Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain."
3:13 And Moses said unto God, "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, `The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,' and they shall say to me, `What is His name?' what shall I say unto them?"
3:14 And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." And He said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, `I AM hath sent me unto you.'"
3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: `The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.' This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.
3:16 ¶ Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, `The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob appeared unto me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;
3:17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the Perizzites, and the Hivites and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey."'
3:18 And they shall hearken to thy voice; and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, `The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'
3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
3:20 And I will stretch out My hand and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go.
3:21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty,
3:22 but every woman shall borrow of her neighbor and of her that sojourneth in her house jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters, and ye shall despoil the Egyptians."

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EXODUS 4

4:1 ¶ And Moses answered and said, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, `The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.'"
4:2 And the LORD said unto him, "What is that in thine hand?" And he said, "A rod."
4:3 And He said, "Cast it on the ground." And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4:4 And the LORD said unto Moses, "Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail." And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand"
4:5 "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee."
4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, "Put now thine hand into thy bosom." And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
4:7 And He said, "Put thine hand into thy bosom again." And he put his hand into his bosom again and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
4:8 "And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
4:9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land; and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land."
4:10 ¶ And Moses said unto the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue."
4:11 And the LORD said unto him, "Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say."
4:13 And he said, "O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send."
4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said, "Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
4:17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs."
4:18 ¶ And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, "Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren who are in Egypt and see whether they are yet alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life."
4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, "When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand; but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, `Thus saith the LORD: Israel is My son, even My firstborn.
23 And I say unto thee, "Let My son go, that he may serve Me." And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.'" 4:24 ¶ And it came to pass, on the way at the inn, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.
4:25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet and said, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me."
4:26 So He let him go; then she said, "A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision."
4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." And he went and met him on the mount of God, and kissed him.
4:28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
4:30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
4:31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

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EXODUS 5

5:1 ¶ And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel: `Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.'"
5:2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."
5:3 ¶ And they said, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword."
5:4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, "Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, delay the people from their work? Get you unto your burdens!"
5:5 And Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens!"
5:6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
5:7 "Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
5:8 And the tally of bricks which they made heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish any thereof. For they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, `Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
5:9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words."
5:10 ¶ And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, "Thus saith Pharaoh: `I will not give you straw.
5:11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it; yet not any of your work shall be diminished.'"
5:12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
5:13 And the taskmasters hastened them, saying, "Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw."
5:14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were demanded, "Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?"
5:15 ¶ Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, "Why dealest thou thus with thy servants?
5:16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, `Make brick!' And behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people."
5:17 But he said, "Ye are idle, ye are idle! Therefore ye say, `Let us go and do sacrifice to the LORD.'
5:18 Go therefore now and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tally of bricks."
5:19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil straits after it was said, "Ye shall not diminish any from your bricks of your daily task."
5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh.
5:21 And they said unto them, "The LORD look upon you and judge, because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us."
5:22 And Moses returned unto the LORD and said, "Lord, why hast Thou so evilly treated this people? Why is it that Thou hast sent me?
5:23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all."

Next: Exodus 6-10
Previous: Genesis 46-50

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