January 19
Exodus 4:18 —
7:25
18 Accordingly
Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him: “I want to
go, please, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt that I may see whether
they are still alive.” So Jethro said to Moses: “Go in peace.”
19 After
that Jehovah said to Moses in Midian:
“Go, return to Egypt, because all the men who were hunting for your soul are
dead.”
20 Then
Moses took his wife and his sons and made them ride on an ass, and he proceeded
to return to the land of Egypt. Moreover, Moses took the rod of the [true] God
in his hand.
21 And
Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “After you have gone and returned to Egypt see
that YOU men actually perform all the miracles that I have put in your hand
before Pharaoh. As for me, I shall let his heart become obstinate; and he will
not send the people away.
22 And
you must say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what Jehovah has said: “Israel is my son, my
firstborn.
23 And
I say to you: Send my son away that he may serve me. But should you refuse to
send him away, here I am killing your son, your firstborn.”’”
24 Now
it came about on the road at the lodging place that Jehovah got to meet him and
kept looking for a way to put him to death.
25 Finally
Zipporah
took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and caused it to touch his feet and
said: “It is because you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
26 Consequently
he let go of him. At that time she said: “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the
circumcision.
27 Then
Jehovah said to Aaron: “Go to meet Moses into the wilderness.” With that he went
and met him in the mountain of the [true] God and kissed him.
28 And
Moses proceeded to tell Aaron all the words of Jehovah, who had sent him, and
all the signs that he had commanded him to do.
29 After
that Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the older men of the sons of Israel.
30 Then
Aaron spoke all the words that Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and he performed the
signs under the eyes of the people.
31 At
this the people believed. When they heard that Jehovah had turned his attention
to the sons of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed
down and prostrated themselves.
5
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and proceeded to say to Pharaoh: “This is
what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘Send my people away that they may
celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.’”
2 But
Pharaoh said: “Who is Jehovah, so that I should obey his voice to send Israel
away? I do not know Jehovah at all and, what is more, I am not going to send
Israel away.”
3 However,
they went on to say: “The God of the Hebrews has come in touch with us. We want
to go, please, a journey of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to
Jehovah our God; otherwise he may strike at us with pestilence or with sword.”
4 At
this the king of Egypt said to them: “Why is it, Moses and Aaron, that YOU cause
the people to leave off from their works? Go bearing YOUR burdens!”
5 And
Pharaoh continued: “Look! The people of the land are now many, and YOU indeed
make them desist from their bearing of burdens.”
6 Immediately
on that day Pharaoh commanded those who drove the people to work and their
officers, saying:
7 “YOU
must not gather straw to give to the people to make bricks as formerly. Let them
themselves go and gather straw for themselves.
8 Moreover,
the required amount of bricks that they were making formerly, YOU will further
impose upon them. YOU must not make any reduction for them, because they are
relaxing. That is why they are crying out, saying, ‘We want to go, we want to
sacrifice to our God!’
9 Let
the service be heavy upon the men and let them work at it, and let them not pay
attention to false words.”
10 So
those who drove the people to work and their officers went out and said to the
people: “Here is what Pharaoh has said, ‘I am giving YOU no more straw.
11 YOU
yourselves go, get straw for yourselves wherever YOU may find it, because there
is to be no reducing of YOUR services one bit.’”
12 Consequently
the people scattered about over all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for
straw.
13 And
those who drove them to work kept urging them, saying: “Finish YOUR works, each
one his work, day for day, just as when straw was available.”
14 Later
on the officers of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over
them, were beaten, these saying: “Why is it YOU did not finish YOUR prescribed
task in making bricks as formerly, both yesterday and today?”
15 Consequently
the officers of the sons of Israel went in and began to cry out to Pharaoh,
saying: “Why do you deal this way with your servants?
16 There
is no straw given to your servants and yet they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’
and here your servants are beaten, whereas your own people are at fault.”
17 But
he said: “YOU are relaxing, YOU are relaxing! That is why YOU are saying, ‘We
want to go, we want to sacrifice to Jehovah.’
18 And
now go, serve! Though no straw will be given to YOU, yet YOU are to give the
fixed amount of bricks.”
19 Then
the officers of the sons of Israel saw themselves in an evil plight at the
saying: “YOU must not deduct from YOUR bricks one bit of anyone’s daily rate.”
20 After
that they encountered Moses and Aaron, who were standing there to meet them as
they came out from Pharaoh.
21 At
once they said to them: “May Jehovah look upon YOU and judge, since YOU have
made us smell offensive before Pharaoh and before his servants so as to put a
sword in their hand to kill us.”
22 Then
Moses turned to Jehovah and said: “Jehovah, why have you caused evil to this
people? Why is it that you have sent me?
23 For
from the time that I went in before Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done
evil to this people, and you have by no means delivered your people.”
6
So Jehovah
said to Moses: “Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh, because on account
of a strong hand he will send them away and on account of a strong hand he will
drive them out of his land.”
2 And
God went on to speak to Moses and to say to him: “I am Jehovah.
3 And
I used to appear to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty, but as respects my
name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them.
4 And
I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the
land of their alien residences in which they resided as aliens.
5 And
I, even I, have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are
enslaving, and I remember my covenant.
6 “Therefore
say to the sons of Israel, ‘I am Jehovah, and I shall certainly bring YOU out
from under the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver YOU from their slavery, and
I shall indeed reclaim YOU with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7 And
I shall certainly take YOU to me as a people, and I shall indeed prove to be God
to YOU; and YOU will certainly know that I am Jehovah YOUR God who is bringing
YOU out from under the burdens of Egypt.
8 And
I shall certainly bring YOU into the land that I raised my hand in oath to give
to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and I shall indeed give it to YOU as something to
possess. I am Jehovah.’”
9 Afterward
Moses spoke to this effect to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to
Moses out of discouragement and for the hard slavery.
10 Then
Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying:
11 “Go
in, speak to Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, that he should send the sons of Israel away
out of his land.”
12 However,
Moses spoke before Jehovah, saying: “Look! The sons of Israel have not listened
to me; and how will Pharaoh ever listen to me, as I am uncircumcised in lips?”
13 But
Jehovah continued to speak to Moses and Aaron and to issue the command by them
to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, in order to bring the sons
of Israel out from the land of Egypt.
14 These
are the heads of the house of their fathers: The sons of Reuben, Israel’s
firstborn, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the families
of Reuben.
15 And
the sons of Simeon
were Jemuel
and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite
woman. These are the families of Simeon.
16 And
these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their family descents:
Gershon and Kohath and Merari.
And the years of Levi’s life were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
17 The
sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei,
according to their families.
18 And
the sons of Kohath were Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel.
And the years of Kohath’s life were a hundred and thirty-three years.
19 And
the sons of Merari
were Mahli and Mushi.
These were the families of the Levites, according to their family descents.
20 Now
Amram took Jochebed
his father’s sister as his wife. Later she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the
years of Amram’s life were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
21 And
the sons of Izhar were Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.
22 And
the sons of Uzziel
were Mishael
and Elzaphan
and Sithri.
23 Now
Aaron took Elisheba,
Amminadab’s
daughter, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife. Later she bore him Nadab and Abihu,
Eleazar
and Ithamar.
24 And
the sons of Korah were Assir and Elkanah
and Abiasaph.
These were the families of the Korahites.
25 And
Eleazar,
Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel
as his wife. Later she bore him Phinehas.
These are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their
families.
26 This
is the Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said: “BRING the sons of Israel out from
the land of Egypt according to their armies.”
27 They
were the ones speaking to Pharaoh, Egypt’s king, to bring the sons of Israel
out from Egypt. This is the Moses and Aaron.
28 And
it came about on the day that Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29 that
Jehovah went on to speak to Moses, saying: “I am Jehovah. Speak to Pharaoh king
of Egypt everything I am speaking to you.”
30 Then
Moses said before Jehovah: “Look! I am uncircumcised in lips, so how will Pharaoh
ever listen to me?”
7
Consequently Jehovah said to Moses: “See, I have made you God to Pharaoh, and
Aaron your own brother will become your prophet.
2 You—you
will speak all that I shall command you; and Aaron your brother will do the
speaking to Pharaoh, and he must send the sons of Israel away from his land.
3 As
for me, I shall let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, and I shall certainly
multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt.
4 And
Pharaoh will not listen to YOU men; and I shall have to lay my hand upon Egypt
and bring my armies, my people, the sons of Israel, out from the land of Egypt
with great judgments.
5 And
the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I stretch out my hand
against Egypt, and I shall indeed bring the sons of Israel out from their
midst.”
6 And
Moses and Aaron went ahead doing as Jehovah had commanded them. They did just
so.
7 And
Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old at the time of
their speaking to Pharaoh.
8 Jehovah
now said to Moses and Aaron:
9 “In
case that Pharaoh speaks to YOU, saying, ‘Produce a miracle for yourselves,’
then you must say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and throw it down before Pharaoh.’
It will become a big snake.”
10 So
Moses and Aaron went on in to Pharaoh and did exactly as Jehovah had commanded.
Accordingly Aaron threw his rod down before Pharaoh and his servants and it
became a big snake.
11 However,
Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and the
magic-practicing priests of Egypt themselves also proceeded to do the same thing
with their magic arts.
12 So
they threw down each one his rod, and they became big snakes; but Aaron’s rod
swallowed up their rods.
13 Still,
Pharaoh’s heart became obstinate, and he did not listen to them, just as
Jehovah had spoken.
14 Then
Jehovah said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is unresponsive. He has refused to send
the people away.
15 Go
to Pharaoh in the morning. Look! He is going out to the water! And you must put
yourself in position to meet him by the edge of the Nile River, and the rod that
turned into a serpent you are to take in your hand.
16 And
you must say to him, ‘Jehovah the God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying:
“Send my people away that they may serve me in the wilderness,” but here you
have not obeyed until now.
17 This
is what Jehovah has said: “By this you will know that I am Jehovah. Here I am
striking with the rod that is in my hand upon the water that is in the Nile
River, and it will certainly turn into blood.
18 And
the fish that are in the Nile River will die, and the Nile River will actually
stink, and the Egyptians will simply have no stomach for drinking water from the
Nile River.”’”
19 Subsequently
Jehovah said to Moses: “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch your hand out
over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their Nile canals and over
their reedy pools and over all their impounded waters, that they may become
blood.’ And there will certainly be blood in all the land of Egypt and in the
wooden vessels and in the stone vessels.”
20 Immediately
Moses and Aaron did so, just as Jehovah had commanded, and he lifted up the rod
and struck the water that was in the Nile River under the eyes of Pharaoh and
his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile River was turned into
blood.
21 And
the fish that were in the Nile River died, and the Nile River began to stink;
and the Egyptians were unable to drink water from the Nile River; and the blood
came to be in all the land of Egypt.
22 Nevertheless,
the magic-practicing priests of Egypt proceeded to do the same thing with their
secret arts; so that Pharaoh’s heart continued to be obstinate, and he did not
listen to them, just as Jehovah had spoken.
23 Hence
Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not set his heart to have
any regard for this either.
24 And
all the Egyptians went digging round about the Nile River for water to drink,
because they were unable to drink any water of the Nile River.
25 And
seven days came to be fulfilled after Jehovah’s striking the Nile River.