Prologue

1 When Jacob left the land of Canaan
2 and came down to Egypt with seventy people,
3 he fathered a great nation there,
4 a people who have suffered long and hard, crushed by wicked men
5 and a tyrant's hand to this very day.
6 For when the king saw that our people had grown strong,
7 he ruled our ancestors with cunning schemes.
8 He forced some of them into hard labor making bricks,
9 and others into hauling heavy stones to build
10 his tall towers, a task designed to torment them.
11 Next he ordered the whole Hebrew people
12 to throw every baby boy into the deep waters of the Nile.
13 I have often heard my mother tell
14 how she hid me for three months at that time.
15 Then, afraid of being discovered, she wrapped me tightly
16 in rough cloth and secretly laid me
17 among the thick reeds along the riverbank.
18 My sister Miriam kept watch close by,⁠a
19 until Pharaoh's daughter came down with her maids
20 to bathe in the cool river.
21 She saw the baby and immediately picked it up,
22 and recognized that it was a Hebrew child. Then my sister
23 ran up and said to the princess,
24 "Shall I find a nurse for this fine child,
25 a Hebrew woman?" The princess told her to hurry,
26 and she quickly told her mother,
27 who came at once and took me in her arms.
28 Then Pharaoh's daughter said, "Take this child
29 and nurse him, and I will pay your wages."
30 She gave me the name Moses, to record
31 that she had drawn me out of the river.

Moses' youth and flight

32 When my infancy was over,
33 my mother brought me to the princess's palace,⁠b
34 but first she told me the whole story of my birth
35 and family, and of God's gifts to us long ago.
36 Then all through my boyhood the princess⁠c
37 raised me as if I were her own son,
38 with a royal upbringing and education.
39 But when the full cycle of days had passed,
40 I left the palace, driven to great deeds
41 by my own heart and by the king's design.
42 On the first day I saw two men fighting,
43 one an Egyptian and one a Hebrew.
44 When I saw that we were alone, with no one else in sight,
45 I came to the rescue, avenged my kinsman, and killed the Egyptian.
46 I buried him in the sand, so that no one would see
47 what we had done and expose the deed.
48 But at dawn the next day I again saw
49 two of our own people fighting fiercely, and I shouted,
50 "Why are you beating a man weaker than you?"
51 But he answered, "Who made you a judge
52 or a ruler here? Do you mean to kill me too,
53 like that man yesterday?" Then, afraid,
54 I said to myself, "How did that deed become known?"
55 All this was quickly reported to the king,
56 and Pharaoh tried to have me killed.
57 I learned of his plot and escaped from his hands,
58 and now I am wandering in foreign lands.

The daughters of Raguel

59 But look, I see seven young women here.
60 Stranger, this whole land is called Libya,⁠d
61 but various tribes live in it,
62 dark-skinned Ethiopians. Yet the land is ruled
63 by one king, who is also its sole commander in war.
64 This city's ruler and judge
65 is a priest, the father of my sisters and me.

Zipporah's marriage

66 Chus: Zipporah, you have to tell me this.
67 Zipporah: My father gave me as a wife to this stranger.

Moses' dream

68 In my dream I saw on the summit of Mount Sinai
69 a great throne that reached up to the vault of heaven.
70 On it sat a man of noble appearance,
71 wearing a royal crown, and holding in his left hand
72 a great scepter. With his right hand he⁠e
73 beckoned to me, and I stood before the throne.
74 Then he handed me the scepter and the crown
75 and told me to sit on the royal throne,
76 and he himself left it. From there I looked out
77 over the whole circle of the earth, and below
78 the earth itself, and high above the heavens.
79 Then a host of stars fell at my feet,
80 and I counted them
81 as they passed by me like an army in ranks.
82 Then I woke from my sleep in terror.

Raguel interprets the dream

83 My friend, this is a good sign from God.
84 I hope I live to see it come true.
85 You will raise up a great throne
86 and become a leader and judge of people yourself.
87 And just as you looked out over the whole inhabited earth,
88 below the earth and above God's heaven,
89 so your mind will see all things: past, present, and future.

The burning bush

90 What is this? What sign is coming from that bush?
91 It is a marvel no one would believe.
92 A sudden, powerful fire is blazing around the bush,
93 and yet its branches stay green and fresh.
94 Well then, I will go closer and look
95 at this amazing sign, beyond all belief.
96 Stop, Moses, my faithful servant. Do not come near
97 until you have taken your sandals off your feet.
98 The place where you are standing is holy ground,
99 and God's word is shining out to you from this bush.
100 Do not be afraid, my son, but listen to my words.
101 As a mortal, you cannot see my face,
102 but you can hear my words,
103 and that is why I have come.
104 I am your ancestors' God, the God of Abraham,
105 of Isaac, and of Jacob.
106 I remember all my gifts to them,
107 and I have come to save my people Israel,
108 for I have seen their suffering and their toil.
109 So go, and in my name make known,
110 first to the Hebrews gathered together
111 and then to the king of Egypt, this command of mine:
112 that you are to lead my people out of the land.

Moses' objection

113 Lord, I am not a good speaker. My tongue is slow,
114 my voice is weak and stammering,
115 so how can I speak before the king?

Aaron

116 I will send your brother Aaron quickly.
117 First tell him everything I have told you.
118 He will speak before the king, and you will speak
119 with me; he will say what he hears from you.

The signs of the rod and the hand

120 God: What is that you are holding in your hand?
121 Moses: A rod, for striking animals and people.
122 God: Throw it on the ground and get back quickly,
123 for a fierce snake will terrify you.
124 Moses: There, I have thrown it. Save me, gracious Lord!
125 How huge it is, how fierce! Have mercy on me!
126 I am shaking all over at the sight.
127 God: Do not be afraid. Reach out your hand and grab its tail.
128 It will become a rod again. Now put your hand
129 inside your cloak, and take it out again.
130 Look, at my word it has become leprous, white as snow.
131 Now put it back in, and it will be as it was before.

The plagues and the Passover

132 With this rod you will bring about all these plagues.
133 First the river will run red with blood,
134 and every spring, stream, and stagnant pool.
135 Then frogs and lice will swarm over the whole land.
136 Next, ashes from the furnace scattered around
137 will break out into painful sores on people and animals.
138 Swarms of flies will come and torment
139 the bodies of the Egyptians. After that,⁠f
140 disease and death will strike those hard hearts.
141 Heaven's anger, unleashed from above,
142 will pour down fire, hail, and a deadly storm
143 on people, animals, and every crop of the earth.
144 Then darkness will cover the whole land
145 for three whole days, and locusts will devour
146 all the food, all the fruit, and every blade of grass.
147 Then I will kill every firstborn child
148 and crush the arrogant pride of this wicked nation.
149 Yet none of these plagues of mine will move the king
150 until he sees his firstborn son lying dead.
151 Then he will send you out in fear and in a hurry.
152 Say this also to all the Hebrew people:
153 "This month will be the first month of your year,
154 the month in which I bring you to that other land
155 that I promised to your ancestors by an oath."
156 Also order the people that in this month,
157 in the evening, before the full moon rises,
158 they are to sacrifice the Passover to God and mark the doorposts with blood.
159 Then my messenger of death will pass by.
160 Eat the meat roasted over the fire at night.
161 Then the king will drive your assembled people out in a hurry.
162 But before you go, I will give my people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians,
163 so that each woman will receive from her neighbor⁠g
164 all the vessels she needs, freely given:
165 silver and gold, and clothing fit to wear,
166 as repayment for what they have done.
167 And when you have reached the land you were promised,
168 make sure that, counting from the morning you fled
169 from Egypt and traveled for seven days,
170 for that many days each year from that same morning
171 you eat unleavened bread and serve your God,
172 offering the firstborn of all living things
173 to God, whatever a mother bears first,
174 every male that first opens the womb.

Instructions for the Passover

175 When the tenth day of this month comes,
176 every Hebrew is to choose for his household
177 unblemished lambs and calves and keep them
178 until the fourteenth day. Then, in the evening,
179 offer the sacrifice and eat
180 the meat and the inner parts, all roasted over the fire.
181 Eat it like this: with your belts fastened and sandals on your feet,
182 holding a staff ready in your hand, for in great haste
183 the king will order you driven out of his land.
184 It is called the Passover.
185 When the animal has been sacrificed, take a full bunch of hyssop in your hand,
186 dip it in the blood, and with it touch
187 the doorposts and the lintel, so that death passes over every Hebrew house.
188 Always keep this festival for the Lord in this way,
189 eating unleavened bread for seven days, with no yeast found in your houses.
190 For you will be set free, and the Lord
191 will lead you out of Egypt in this month,
192 which from now on will be the first month of your year.

A messenger reports the crossing of the sea

193 When King Pharaoh set out from his palace
194 with this vast crowd of countless soldiers,
195 with cavalry and four-horse chariots,
196 in tight ranks in front and on each flank,
197 the army in battle array was terrifying to see.
198 The infantry held the center in a deep phalanx,
199 with gaps for the chariots to drive through.
200 On the right wing and on the left were stationed
201 the best of all the Egyptian cavalry.
202 When I asked how many men were in our army,⁠h
203 there were a million brave, well-armed men.
204 The Hebrews, when our army overtook them,
205 were lying in groups along the shore
206 beside the Red Sea, worn out from their labor;
207 others, with their wives,⁠i
208 were busy feeding their little children,
209 loaded down with flocks and herds and household goods.
210 The men themselves, with no weapons for battle,
211 let out a cry of anguish at the sight of us,
212 and all of them, raising their hands to heaven, called on
213 their ancestors' God. Their numbers were great,
214 but our whole camp was overjoyed.
215 We pitched our camp close behind them, by the sea,
216 where there is a city called Baal-zephon.
217 As the sun was setting in the west,
218 we waited, eager for battle at dawn,
219 trusting in our great army and deadly weapons.
220 But then the signs of heaven's anger began,
221 a terrifying and astonishing sight. Suddenly
222 a pillar of cloud rose high above the earth
223 between the Hebrew camp and ours.
224 Then their leader Moses took his rod
225 of divine power, which had recently brought on Egypt
226 so many deadly signs and wonders.
227 With it he struck the waves, and the deep sea
228 split apart, and with eager steps
229 their whole people rushed across that path through the sea.
230 We followed close behind them without delay
231 along the same path, and as we marched on we met
232 the darkness of night. Then suddenly,
233 as if they were chained, our chariot wheels
234 would not turn, and from the sky a flame
235 like a great fire shone in front of us.
236 I think their God was there to help them,
237 for no sooner had they reached the far shore than we heard
238 the great roar of surging waves nearby, and someone cried out in terror,
239 "Run from the avenging hand of the Most High,
240 for he is helping our enemies
241 and working to destroy us!" Then the sea
242 surged over our path and overwhelmed our army.

Elim

243 Look, my lord Moses, at the place we have found,
244 cooled by gentle breezes from that shady grove.
245 As you can see for yourself, the stream is there,
246 and from there at night the pillar of fire gave
247 its welcome guiding light. There is a meadow
248 lying in cool shade beside the stream,
249 and a deep valley pours out in rich abundance
250 twelve sparkling springs from a single rock.
251 There, tall and strong and heavy with fruit,
252 stand seventy palm trees,⁠j and plentiful grass,
253 well watered, provides good pasture for our flocks.

The bird at Elim

254 We saw another creature, stranger
255 and more marvelous than anyone has ever seen.
256 It was nearly twice the size of the largest eagle.
257 Its outspread wings shone with many colors.
258 Its breast was a bright purple,
259 its legs were crimson, and on its graceful neck
260 golden feathers curved beautifully.
261 Its head had a crest like a rooster's.
262 Its yellow eye shone brightly all around,
263 and its pupil was like a red seed.
264 Its voice was the most beautiful of all.
265 It seemed to be the king of all birds,
266 as was soon shown, for birds of every kind
267 hurried fearfully behind it,
268 while it, like a proud bull leading its herd,
269 strode out in front with a quick, proud step.