Exodus 1-11
Expanded Bible
Jacob’s Family Grows Strong
1 When Jacob went to Egypt, he took his sons, and ·each son took his own family [L …their households] with him. These are the names of the sons of Israel: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 There was a total of seventy people who ·were descendants [L came out of the loins/thigh] of Jacob [Gen. 46:26–27]. Jacob’s son Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Some time later, Joseph and his brothers died, along with all ·the people who had lived at that same time [L that generation]. 7 But the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel ·had many children [L were fruitful], and ·their number grew greatly [L they became a teeming swarm and multiplied]. They became very strong, and the ·country of Egypt [L land] was filled with them [Gen. 1:28].
Trouble for the People of Israel
8 Then a new king ·began to rule [L rose over] Egypt, who did not know who Joseph was [C identification uncertain; may refer to Ahmose in 16th century bc]. 9 ·This king [L He] said to his people, “Look! The people of Israel are too many and ·too strong for us to handle [L stronger than us]! 10 If we don’t ·make plans against [deal wisely/shrewdly with] them, the number of their people will grow even more. Then if there is a war, they might join ·our enemies [L those who hate us] and fight us and ·escape [L go up] from the country!”
11 So ·the Egyptians made life hard for the Israelites [L they afflicted/oppressed them with hard labor]. They put slave masters over them, who forced the Israelites to build the cities Pithom and Rameses as ·supply centers [storage cities] for ·the king [L Pharaoh]. 12 But the harder ·the Egyptians forced the Israelites to work [L they afflicted/oppressed them], the more ·the Israelites grew in number [they multiplied] and spread out. So ·the Egyptians became very afraid of them [L they dreaded the sons/T children of Israel] 13 and ·demanded even more of them [L the Egyptians ruthlessly forced the sons/T children of Israel to labor]. 14 They made their lives ·bitter [miserable]. They forced the Israelites to work hard to make bricks and mortar and to do all kinds of work in the fields. ·The Egyptians were not merciful to them in all their painful work [L They ruthlessly forced them to work].
15 Two Hebrew ·nurses [midwives] named Shiphrah and Puah were told by the king [C not the Pharaoh of 1:8; perhaps fifteenth or thirteenth century bc—if the latter, probably Rameses], 16 “When you ·are helping the Hebrew women give birth to their babies [act as midwives for the Hebrew women], ·watch [observe them on the birthstool; or look at the stones; C a euphemism for testicles]! If the baby is a girl, let her live, but if it is a boy, kill him!” 17 But the ·nurses [midwives] feared God, so they did not do as the king [L of Egypt] told them; they let all the boy babies live. 18 Then the king of Egypt sent for the ·nurses [midwives] and said, “Why did you do this? Why did you let the boys live?”
19 The ·nurses [midwives] said to ·him [L Pharaoh], “The Hebrew women are ·much stronger than [L not like] the Egyptian women. They are ·strong [vigorous; hardy]. They give birth to their babies before we can get there.” 20 God ·was good [showed favor] to the ·nurses [midwives]. And the Hebrew people continued to grow in number, so they became even stronger. 21 Because the ·nurses [midwives] feared God [Prov. 1:7], he gave them families of their own.
22 So ·the king [L Pharaoh] commanded all his people, “Every time a boy is born to the Hebrews, you must throw him into the Nile River, but let all the girl babies live.”
Baby Moses
2 Now a man from the ·family [L house] of Levi ·married a woman who was also from the family [L took a daughter] of Levi. 2 She ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son. When she saw how ·wonderful the baby [good/handsome/healthy he] was, she hid him for three months. 3 But after three months she was not able to hide the baby any longer, so she got a ·basket [ark] made of ·reeds [papyrus] and covered it with ·tar so that it would float [bitumen and pitch]. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the ·tall stalks of grass [L reeds] at the edge of the ·Nile River [L river]. 4 The baby’s sister stood ·a short distance away [afar off] to see what would happen to him.
5 Then the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] came to the river to ·take a bath [wash], and her servant girls were walking beside the river. When she saw the ·basket [ark] in the ·tall grass [reeds] she sent her slave girl to get it. 6 She opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, so she ·felt sorry [had pity] for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”
7 Then the baby’s sister asked ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] daughter, “Would you like me to go and find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”
8 ·The king’s [L Pharaoh’s] daughter said, “Go!” So the girl went and got the baby’s own mother [C Moses not only survived but was raised by his own mother].
9 ·The king’s [L Pharaoh’s] daughter said to the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took her baby and nursed him. 10 When the child ·grew older [L was weaned], the woman took him to the ·king’s [L Pharaoh’s] daughter, and she adopted the baby as her own son. The king’s daughter named him Moses [C sounds like the Hebrew word for “draw/pull up”], because she had ·pulled [drawn] him out of the water.
Moses Tries to Help
11 Moses ·grew and became a man [L grew up]. One day he ·visited his people [L went out among his brothers/relatives/kin] and saw ·that they were forced to work very hard [L their hard/forced labor]. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses’ ·own people [L brothers; relatives; kin]. 12 Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching, so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The ·next [L second] day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He said to the one that was in the wrong, “Why are you hitting one of your ·own people [friends; neighbors]?”
14 The man answered, “Who made you ·our ruler [L prince over people] and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Moses was afraid and thought, “·Now everyone knows what I did [L Indeed the deed is known].”
15 When ·the king [L Pharaoh] heard ·what Moses had done [L of the thing], he ·tried [sought] to kill him. But Moses ·ran away [fled] from ·the king [L Pharaoh] and went to live in the land of Midian [C probably in the eastern Sinai peninsula or in western Arabia]. There he sat down near a well.
Moses in Midian
16 There was a priest in Midian [C Jethro; also known as Reuel] who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to ·get [draw] water to fill the water troughs for their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came and ·chased [drove] the girls away, but Moses defended the girls and watered their flock.
18 When they went back to their father Reuel [C another name for Jethro], he asked them, “Why have you come home early today?”
19 The girls answered, “·The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian defended us [L An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand of shepherds]. He ·got [drew] water for us and watered our flock.”
20 He asked his daughters, “Where is this man? Why did you ·leave [abandon; forsake] him? Invite him to eat with us.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with Jethro, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to be his wife. 22 She gave birth to a son. Moses named him Gershom [C sounds like “stranger/resident alien there” in Hebrew], because Moses was a stranger in a ·land that was not his own [foreign land].
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned, because ·they were forced to work very hard [of their work/slavery]. ·When they cried for help, God heard them [L Their plea for help rose up to God because of their work/slavery]. 24 God heard their ·cries [groaning], and he remembered ·the agreement he had made [his covenant] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [Gen. 12:1–3]. 25 God saw the ·troubles of the people [L sons; children] of Israel, and he ·was concerned about [took note of] them.
The Burning Bush
3 One day Moses was ·taking care of [shepherding; grazing] Jethro’s flock. (Jethro was the priest of Midian and also Moses’ father-in-law.) When Moses led the flock to the west side of the ·desert [wilderness], he came to ·Sinai [L Horeb; C another name for Mount Sinai], the mountain of God. 2 There the ·angel [messenger] of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not ·burning up [consumed]. 3 So Moses said, “I will ·go closer to [L turn aside to see] this ·strange [or marvelous; great] thing. ·How can a bush continue burning without burning up [Why does not the bush burn]?”
4 When the Lord saw Moses was ·coming [L turning aside] to look at it, God called to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 Then God said, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals [L from your feet], because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 I am the God of your ·ancestors [fathers; L father]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses ·covered [hid] his face because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the ·troubles [affliction; or humiliation] my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries ·when the Egyptian slavemasters hurt them [L before their foremen/taskmasters]. I ·am concerned about [L know] their pain, 8 and I have come down to ·save [rescue; deliver] them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land and lead them to a good land with lots of room—a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; C an image of abundant fertility]. It is the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 I have heard the cries of the people of Israel, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have ·made life hard for [oppressed] them. 10 So now I am sending you to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. Go! Bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt!”
11 But Moses said to God, “·I am not a great man! How can I go to the king [L Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh] and ·lead [bring] the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 God said, “I will be with you. This will be the ·proof [sign] that I am sending you: After you lead the people out of Egypt, all of you will ·worship me [L serve God] on this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God, “When I go to the Israelites, I will say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you.’ What if the people say, ‘What is his name [C names signified a person’s essence, character, or reputation]?’ What should I tell them?”
14 Then God said to Moses, “I Am Who I Am” [C These Hebrew words are related to the name Yahweh, usually translated “Lord,” and suggest that God eternally lives and is always with his people]. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, ‘I Am sent me to you.’”
15 God ·also [or again] said to Moses, “This is what you should tell the people: ‘The Lord is the God of your ·ancestors [fathers]—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He sent me to you.’ This will always be my name, ·by which people from now on will know me [L this is my title for all generations].
16 “Go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them this: ‘The Lord, the God of your ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me. He said, I ·care about you, and I have seen [have paid attention to you and to] what has happened to you in Egypt. 17 I ·promised [L said] I would take you out of your ·troubles [affliction; or humiliation] in Egypt. I will lead you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; 3:8].’
18 “The elders will listen to you. And then you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ·appeared to [L met with] us. Let us travel three days into the ·desert [wilderness] to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’
19 “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go. Only ·a great power will force him to let you go [L by a strong hand], 20 so I will ·use my great power against Egypt [L stretch forth my hand]. I will strike Egypt with all the ·miracles [wonders] that will happen in that land. After I do that, he will let you go. 21 I will cause the Egyptians to ·think well of [be favorable toward] the Israelites. So when you leave, ·they will give gifts to your people [L you will not leave emptyhanded; 12:35–36]. 22 Each woman should ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian woman living in her house for gifts—silver, gold, and clothing. You should put those gifts on your ·children [L sons and daughters] when you leave Egypt. In this way you will ·take with you the riches of [plunder] the Egyptians.”
Proof for Moses
4 Then Moses answered, “What if ·the people of Israel [L they] do not ·believe [trust] me or listen to ·me [L my voice]? What if they say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
Moses answered, “It is my ·walking stick [staff; C representing the presence of God].”
3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”
So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a ·snake [serpent]. Moses ·ran [fled] from the ·snake [serpent], 4 but the Lord said to him, “·Reach out [L Send out your hand] and ·grab [grasp; catch] the ·snake [serpent] by its tail.” When ·Moses [L he] ·reached out [L sent out his hand] and ·took hold of [snatched] ·the snake [L it], it again became a ·stick [staff] in his hand. 5 The Lord said, “This is so that the ·Israelites [L they] will ·believe [trust] that the Lord appeared to you. I am the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; L bosom].” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; L bosom]. When he took it out, it was ·white [L like snow] with ·a skin disease [T leprosy; C the word is used for a variety of skin diseases].
7 Then he said, “Now put your hand inside your ·coat [cloak; L bosom] again.” So Moses put his hand inside his ·coat [cloak; L bosom] again. When he took it out [L of his coat/cloak/bosom], ·his hand was healthy again, like the rest of his skin [L it was restored like his flesh].
8 Then the Lord said, “If the people do not ·believe [trust] you or ·pay attention to [listen to the evidence of] the first ·miracle [sign], they may ·believe [trust] you when you show them this second ·miracle [sign]. 9 After these two ·miracles [signs], if they still do not ·believe [trust] or listen to ·you [L your voice], take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water will become blood ·when it touches [L on] the ground.”
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been a ·skilled speaker [L man of words]. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I ·speak slowly and can’t find the best words [L have a heavy/slow mouth and a heavy/slow tongue].”
11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who made a person’s mouth? And who makes someone deaf or ·not able to speak [mute]? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord. 12 Now go! I will ·help you speak [L be with your mouth], and I will teach you what to say.”
13 But Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone ·else [L you want to send].”
14 The Lord became angry with Moses and said, “[L Do I not know that…?] Your brother Aaron, from the family of Levi, is a ·skilled [fluent; smooth] speaker. He is already coming to meet you, and ·he will be happy [L his heart will rejoice] when he sees you. 15 You will speak to Aaron and ·tell him what to say [L place your words in his mouth]. I will ·help both of you to speak [L be with your mouth and with his mouth] and will teach you what to do. 16 Aaron will speak to the people for you. ·You will tell him what God says, and he will speak for you [L He will be your mouth and you will be like God to him]. 17 Take your ·walking stick [staff; 4:2] ·with you [L in your hand], and use it to do the ·miracles [signs].”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, “Let me go back to my ·people [relatives; brothers; kindred] in Egypt. I want to see if they are still alive.”
Jethro said to Moses, “·Go! I wish you well [L Go in peace].”
19 While Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “Go back to Egypt, because the men who ·wanted to kill you [L were seeking your life] are dead now.”
20 So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and started back to Egypt. He took ·with him [L in his hand] the ·walking stick [staff] of God.
21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you get back to Egypt, do all the miracles I have ·given you the power to do [L set in our hand]. Show them to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. But I will ·make the king very stubborn [L harden his heart], and he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to ·the king [L Pharaoh], ‘·This is what [Thus] the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son [C the privileged child]. 23 I told you to let my son go so he may ·worship [serve] me. But you refused to let Israel go, so I will kill your firstborn son [11:1–10].’”
24 ·As Moses was on his way to Egypt [L On the way], he stopped at a resting place for the night. The Lord met him there and tried to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife and ·circumcised [L cut the foreskin of] her son. Taking the skin, she touched Moses’ feet [C a euphemism for his genitalia] with it and said to him, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 She said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” ·because she had to circumcise her son [L by circumcision]. So the Lord let Moses alone [C this event is difficult to interpret, but shows that circumcision is important to God].
27 Meanwhile the Lord said to Aaron, “Go out into the ·desert [wilderness] to meet Moses.” When Aaron went, he met Moses at Sinai, the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 Moses ·told [reported to] Aaron everything the Lord had said to him when he sent him to Egypt. He also told him about the miracles [signs] which the Lord had commanded him to do.
29 Moses and Aaron gathered all the elders of the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], 30 and Aaron told them everything that the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the ·miracles [signs] for all the people to see, 31 and the ·Israelites [L people] ·believed [trusted]. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their ·troubles [afflictions; humiliation], they bowed down and worshiped him.
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
5 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may ·hold a feast [celebrate a festival; or make a pilgrimage] for me in the ·desert [wilderness].’”
2 But ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I ·obey him [L listen to his voice] and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the ·desert [wilderness] to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a ·disease [pestilence; plague] or in war.”
4 But the king [L of Egypt] said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your ·jobs [labor]! 5 ·There are very many Hebrews [L They are more numerous than the people of the land], and now you want them to quit working!”
6 That same day ·the king [L Pharaoh] gave a command to the slave masters and ·foremen [supervisors]. 7 He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw. 8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they ·are asking me [cry; whine], ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9 Make these people work harder and ·keep them busy [L they will labor on it]; then they will ·not have time to listen to the lies of Moses [L pay no attention to false words/reports].”
Moses Complains to God
10 So the slave masters [L of the people] and ·foremen [supervisors] went ·to the Israelites [L out] and said [L to the people], “This is what ·the king [L Pharaoh] says: I will no longer give you straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But ·you must make as many bricks as you made before [L your work will not dimish at all].” 12 So the people ·went everywhere in [L scattered throughout] Egypt ·looking for dry stalks [L gathering stubble] to use for straw. 13 The slave masters ·kept forcing the people to work harder [L were urgent]. They said, “You must ·make just as many bricks [L finish your work, the same daily assignment] as you did when you were given straw.” 14 ·The king’s [L Pharaoh’s] slave masters had made the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why ·aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past [L did you not complete the number of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before]?”
15 Then the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and ·complained [protested], “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way? 16 You give ·us [L your servants] no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people’s ·fault [offense; sin].”
17 ·The king [L He] answered, “You are lazy! ·You don’t want to work [L Lazy]! ·That is why you ask to leave here [L Therefore you say, “Let us go…”] and make sacrifices to the Lord. 18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”
19 The Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] knew they were in trouble, because ·the king had told them [L they were told], “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.” 20 As they were leaving the meeting with ·the king [L Pharaoh], they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord ·punish you [L look on you and judge]. You ·caused the king and his officers to hate us [L have made us a bad odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants]. You have ·given them an excuse [L placed a sword in their hands] to kill us.”
22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this ·trouble [evil; harm] on your people? Is this why you sent me here? 23 I went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] ·and said what you told me to say [L to speak in your name], but ever since that time he has ·made the people suffer [harmed/mistreated this people]. And you have done nothing to ·save them [rescue/deliver your people].”
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. ·I will use my great power against him, and [L By a mighty hand] he will let my people go. ·Because of my power, [L By a mighty hand] he will force them out of his country.”
2 Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name ·God Almighty [El Shaddai], but they did not know me by my name, ·the Lord [Yahweh]. 4 I also ·made [established] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; C the covenant with Abraham; Gen. 12:1–3] with them to give them the land of Canaan. They ·lived in that land, but it was not their own [L sojourned; wandered as aliens]. 5 Now I have heard the ·cries [groans; moans] of the ·Israelites [L sons of Israel], whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my ·agreement [covenant]. 6 So tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will rescue you, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will ·free [redeem] you by my ·great power [L outstretched arm], and ·I will punish the Egyptians terribly [L with great/mighty judgments]. 7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God [C the heart or essence of the covenant]. You will know that I am the Lord your God, the One who ·saves you [L brought you out] from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. 8 I will ·lead [bring] you to the land that I ·promised [swore; L lifted my hand to give; C to take an oath] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”
9 So Moses told this to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], but they would not listen to him. ·They were discouraged [Their spirits were broken], and their slavery was ·hard [cruel].
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt that he must let the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] leave his land.”
12 But Moses answered, “[L If] The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely ·the king [L Pharaoh] will not listen to me either. I am ·not a good speaker [L uncircumcised of lips].”
13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and [L Pharaoh] the king of Egypt. He commanded them to ·lead [bring] the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] out of Egypt.
Families of Israel
14 These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·families of Israel [L their father’s/ancestors’ household]:
Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben.
15 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Simeon.
16 Levi lived one hundred thirty-seven years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their ·families [clans].
18 Kohath lived one hundred thirty-three years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These are the ·family groups [clans] of Levi, according to their family history.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years.
21 Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.
22 Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the ·family groups [clans] of the Korahites.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas.
These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·family groups [clans] of the Levites.
26 This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “·Lead [Bring] the people of Israel out of Egypt by their ·divisions [hosts; companies; C a military term].” 27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
God Repeats His Call to Moses
28 The Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt 29 and said, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses answered, “I am ·not a good speaker [L uncircumcised of lips]. ·The king [L Pharaoh] will not listen to me.”
7 The Lord said to Moses, “I have made you ·like God [L God] to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh], and your brother Aaron will be like a prophet for you [C just as God would speak to people through prophets so Moses would speak to Pharaoh through Aaron]. 2 Tell Aaron your brother everything that I command you, and let him tell ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] to let the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] leave his ·country [land]. 3 But I will ·make the king stubborn [L harden the heart of Pharaoh]. I will ·do many miracles [L multiply my signs and wonders] in Egypt, 4 but ·he will still refuse to listen [L Pharaoh will not listen to you]. So then I will ·punish Egypt terribly [L place my hand on Egypt with great judgments], and I will lead my ·divisions [hosts; companies; 6:26], my people the Israelites, out of ·that land [L the land of Egypt]. 5 I will ·punish Egypt with my power [L extend my hand against Egypt], and I will bring the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·out of that land [L from their midst]. Then the Egyptians will know I am the Lord.”
6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three when they spoke to ·the king [L Pharaoh].
Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “Moses, when ·the king [L Pharaoh] asks you to do a ·miracle [wonder], tell Aaron to [L take and] throw his ·walking stick [staff] down in front of ·the king [L Pharaoh], and it will become a ·snake [serpent; 4:3–5; C symbols of dangerous power in Egypt; Pharaoh’s headdress had a serpent at its crest].”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw his ·walking stick [staff] down in front of ·the king [L Pharaoh] and his officers, and it became a ·snake [serpent].
11 So ·the king [L Pharaoh] called in his wise men and his ·magicians [sorcerers], and with their ·tricks [magic arts] the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same thing [C showing that they had spiritual powers supporting them]. 12 They threw their ·walking sticks [staffs] on the ground, and their ·sticks [staffs] became snakes. But Aaron’s ·stick [staff] swallowed theirs [C showing God’s power was superior]. 13 Still the king ·was stubborn [L hardened his heart] and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Water Becomes Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “·The king is being stubborn [L Pharaoh’s heart is hard/heavy] and refuses to let the people go. 15 In the morning ·the king [L Pharaoh] will go out to the ·Nile River [L water]. Go meet him by the edge of the ·river [L Nile], and take with you the ·walking stick [staff] that became a ·snake [serpent]. 16 Tell him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you. He said, ‘Let my people go ·worship [serve] me in the ·desert [wilderness].’ Until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the Lord says: ‘This is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with this ·stick [staff] in my hand, and the water will change into blood. 18 Then the fish in the Nile will die, and the river will begin to stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink the water from the Nile.’”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron: ‘Take the ·walking stick [staff] in your hand and stretch your hand over the rivers, canals, ponds, and pools in Egypt.’ The water will become blood everywhere in Egypt, both in wooden buckets and in stone jars.”
20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. In front of ·the king [L Pharaoh] and his officers, Aaron raised his ·walking stick [staff] and struck the water in the Nile River. So all the water in the Nile changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river began to stink, so the Egyptians could not drink water from it. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.
22 Using their ·tricks [magic arts], the ·magicians [sorcerers] of Egypt did the same thing. So the ·king was stubborn [L heart of Pharaoh was hardened] and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 ·The king [L Pharaoh] turned and went into his ·palace [house] and ·ignored what Moses and Aaron had done [L did not take this to heart]. 24 The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, so all of them dug along the bank of the river, looking for water to drink.
The Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord ·changed [L struck] the Nile River.
8 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 2 If you refuse, I will ·punish [plague] ·Egypt [L your boundaries] with frogs. 3 The Nile River will ·be filled [swarm] with frogs. They will come up into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officers, and onto your people. They will come into your ovens and into your baking pans. 4 The frogs will ·jump all over [L come up on] you, your people, and your officers.’”
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to ·hold his walking stick [stretch out his stick/staff] in his hand over the rivers, canals, and ponds. Make frogs come up out of the water onto the land of Egypt.”
6 So Aaron ·held [extended] his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up out of the water and covered the land of Egypt. 7 The ·magicians [sorcerers] used their ·tricks [magic arts] to do the same thing, so even more frogs came up onto the land of Egypt.
8 ·The king [L Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron and said, “·Pray to [Intreat; Intercede] the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
9 Moses said to ·the king [L Pharaoh], “Please set the time when I should ·pray [intreat; intercede] for you, your people, and your officers. Then the frogs will ·leave [be removed/cut off from] you and your houses and will remain only in the Nile.”
10 The king answered, “Tomorrow.”
Moses said, “·What you want will happen [L According to your word]. By this you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will ·leave [be removed from] you, your houses, your officers, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile.”
12 After Moses and Aaron ·left the king [went out from Pharaoh], Moses ·asked [cried out to] the Lord about the frogs he had ·sent to [L set against] ·the king [L Pharaoh]. 13 And the Lord did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the ·yards [courtyards], and in the fields. 14 The Egyptians put them in piles, and the whole country began to stink. 15 But when ·the king [L Pharaoh] saw that they were free of the frogs, he ·became stubborn again [L hardened his heart]. He did not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Gnats
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron to ·raise [extend] his ·walking stick [staff] and strike the dust on the ground. Then everywhere in Egypt the dust will change into gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron ·raised [extended] the ·walking stick [staff] that was in his hand and struck the dust on the ground, everywhere in Egypt the dust changed into gnats. The gnats got on the people and ·animals [cattle]. 18 Using their ·tricks [magic arts], the ·magicians [sorcerers] tried to do the same thing, but they could not make the dust change into gnats. The gnats remained on the people and animals. 19 So the ·magicians [sorcerers] told ·the king [L Pharaoh] that the ·power [L finger] of God had done this. But the ·king was stubborn [L heart of Pharaoh was hard] and refused to listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Flies
20 The Lord told Moses, “Get up early in the morning, and meet the king of Egypt as he goes out to the ·river [L water]. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go so they can ·worship [serve] me. 21 If you don’t let them go, I will send swarms of flies into your houses. The flies will be on you, your officers, and your people. The houses of Egypt will be full of flies, and they will be all over the ground, too. 22 ·But I will not treat the Israelites the same as the Egyptian people [On that day I will separate the land of Goshen where my people are; C located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta; Gen. 45:10]. There will not be any flies ·in the land of Goshen, where my people live [L there]. By this you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will ·treat my people differently from [or set redemption between my people and] your people. This ·miracle [sign] will happen tomorrow.’”
24 So the Lord did as he had said, and great swarms of flies came into ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] palace and his officers’ houses. All over Egypt flies were ·ruining [destroying] the land. 25 ·The king [L Pharaoh] called for Moses and Aaron and told them, “[L Go,] Offer sacrifices to your God here in this ·country [land].”
26 But Moses said, “It wouldn’t be right to do that, ·because the Egyptians hate the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God [L the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians]. If they see us offering sacrifices they ·hate [detest], ·they will throw stones at us and kill us [L will they not stone us?]. 27 Let us make a three-day journey into the ·desert [wilderness]. We must offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there, as he told us to do.”
28 ·The king [L Pharaoh] said, “I will let you go so that you may offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the ·desert [wilderness], but you must not go very far away. Now go and ·pray [intreat; intercede] for me.”
29 Moses said, “I will ·leave [go out] and ·pray [intreat; intercede] to the Lord, and he will take the flies away from you, your officers, and your people tomorrow. But do not ·try to trick [deal falsely with] us again. Do not stop the people from going to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”
30 So Moses ·left the king [L went out from Pharaoh] and ·prayed to [entreated; interceded with] the Lord, 31 and the Lord did as he asked. He removed the flies from ·the king [L Pharaoh], his officers, and his people so that not one fly was left. 32 But ·the king became stubborn [L Pharaoh hardened his heart] again and did not let the people go.
The Disease on the Farm Animals
9 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 2 If you refuse to let them go and ·continue to hold [tighten your grip on] them, 3 the ·Lord will punish you and will send [L hand of the Lord will strike with] a terrible ·disease [pestilence] on your farm animals that are in the fields. He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, and sheep to become sick. 4 But the Lord will ·treat Israel’s animals differently from [make a distinction between the animals of Israel and] the animals of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die. 5 The Lord has set tomorrow as the [L appointed] time he will do this in the land.’” 6 The next day the Lord did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the animals belonging to Israelites died. 7 ·The king [L Pharaoh] sent people to see what had happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had died. But the ·king was still stubborn [L heart of Pharaoh was hardened] and did not let the people go.
The Boils
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “·Fill your hands with [Take handfuls of] ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln]. Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. 9 The ·ashes [soot] will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere in the land [C perhaps skin anthrax].”
10 So Moses and Aaron took ·ashes [soot] from a ·furnace [kiln] and went and stood before ·the king [L Pharaoh]. Moses threw ·ashes [the soot; L it] into the air, which caused boils to break out and become sores on people and animals. 11 The ·magicians [sorcerers] could not stand before Moses, because all the Egyptians had boils, even the ·magicians [sorcerers]. 12 But the Lord ·made the king stubborn [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh], so he refused to listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and ·go to the king of Egypt [stand before Pharaoh]. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 14 If you don’t, this time I will ·punish you, your officers, and your people, with all my power [L send all my plagues against you, your officers, and your people]. Then you will know there is no one in the whole land like me. 15 By now I could have ·used my power [L stretched out my hand] and caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from the earth. 16 But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so that my ·name [fame; reputation] will be ·talked about [recounted] in all the earth. 17 You are still [L exalting yourself] against my people and do not want to let them go. 18 So at this time tomorrow, I will send a ·terrible [very heavy] hailstorm, the worst in Egypt ·since it became a nation [L from the day it was founded until now]. 19 Now send for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.’” 20 Some of ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] officers ·respected [L feared] the word of the Lord and hurried to bring their slaves and animals inside. 21 But others ·ignored [L did not set their heart on] the Lord’s ·message [word] and left their slaves and animals in the fields.
22 The Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Stretch out] your hand toward the ·sky [heavens]. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals, and on ·everything that grows [all the plants] in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses ·raised his walking stick [stretched out his staff] toward the ·sky [heavens], the Lord sent thunder and hail, and ·lightning [L fire] ·flashed [L came] down to the earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed—the ·worst [most severe] hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 The hail ·destroyed [L struck] all the people and animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also ·destroyed [L struck] ·everything that grew [the plants] in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields. 26 The only place it did not hail was in the land of Goshen [8:22], where the Israelites lived.
27 ·The king [L Pharaoh] sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are ·in the wrong [guilty]. 28 ·Pray to [Entreat; Intercede with] the Lord. We have had enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay here any longer.”
29 Moses told ·the king [L him], “When I ·leave [L go out from] the city, I will ·raise [L spread] my hands to the Lord in prayer, and the thunder [L will cease] and hail will ·stop [L be no more]. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But I know that you and your officers do not yet fear the Lord God.”
31 The flax was in ·bloom [bud], and the barley ·had ripened [was in the ear], so these crops were ·destroyed [ruined]. 32 But ·both wheat crops [L the wheat and the spelt] ripen later, so they were not ·destroyed [ruined].
33 Moses left ·the king [L Pharaoh] and went outside the city. He ·raised [L spread] his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail ·stopped [L ceased]. The rain ·also stopped falling to [L no longer poured on] the ground. 34 When ·the king [L Pharaoh] saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ·stopped [L ceased], he sinned again, and he and his officers ·became stubborn [L hardened their hearts]. 35 So ·the king [L Pharaoh] ·became stubborn [L hardened his heart] and refused to let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through [L the hand of] Moses.
The Locusts
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. I have ·made him and his officers stubborn [L hardened his heart and the hearts of his officers] so I could show them ·my powerful miracles [L these signs of mine]. 2 I also did this so you could ·tell [L recount to] your children and your grandchildren how I ·was hard on [or made sport of] the Egyptians. ·Tell [L Recount to] them about the ·miracles [L signs] I did among them so that all of you will know that I am the Lord.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to ·be sorry for what you have done [L humble yourself before me]? Let my people go to ·worship [serve] me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your ·country [land]. 5 They will cover the [L surface of the] land so that no one will be able to see the ·ground [land]. They will eat ·anything that was [L the last remains] left from the hailstorm and the leaves from every tree growing in the field. 6 They will fill your ·palaces [L houses] and all your officers’ houses, as well as the houses of all the Egyptians. There will be more locusts than your fathers or ·ancestors [L the fathers of your fathers] have ever seen—more than ·there have been since people began living in Egypt [or the day they came on the earth until now].’” Then Moses turned and walked away from ·the king [L Pharaoh].
7 ·The king’s [L Pharaoh’s] officers asked him, “How long will this man ·make trouble for [L be a snare to] us? Let the ·Israelites [L men] go to ·worship [serve] the Lord their God. Don’t you know [L yet] that Egypt is ·ruined [destroyed]?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to ·the king [L Pharaoh]. He said to them, “Go and ·worship [serve] the Lord your God. But tell me, just who is going?”
9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and old people, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds, because we are going to ·have a feast [celebrate a festival; or make a pilgrimage] to honor the Lord.”
10 ·The king [L He] said to them, “The Lord will really have to be with you if ever I let you and all of your children leave Egypt. See, you are planning something evil! 11 No! Only the men may go and ·worship [serve] the Lord, which is what you have been asking for.” Then ·the king forced Moses and Aaron out of his palace [L he drove them from the presence of Pharaoh].
12 The Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Extend; Stretch] your hand over the land of Egypt, and the locusts will come. They will ·spread all [L go up] over the land of Egypt and will eat all the ·plants [vegetation] the hail ·did not destroy [L left behind].”
13 So Moses ·raised [extended; stretched] his ·walking stick [staff] over the land of Egypt, and the Lord caused a strong east wind to blow across the land all that day and night, and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 Swarms of locusts ·covered [L went up on] all the land of Egypt and ·settled [rested] ·everywhere [L within all the borders of Egypt]. There were more locusts than ever before or after, 15 and they covered the [L surface of the] whole land so that it was ·black [darkened]. They ate everything that was left after the hail—·every plant [L all the vegetation] in the field and all the fruit on the trees. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 ·The king [L Pharaoh] quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin this time. ·Pray to [Entreat; Intercede with] the Lord your God, and ask him to ·stop [turn aside] this ·punishment that kills [deadly thing from me].”
18 Moses left ·the king [L Pharaoh] and ·prayed to [entreated; interceded with] the Lord. 19 So the Lord ·changed [turned around; diverted] the wind. He made a very strong wind blow from the west, and it ·blew [L carried and drove] the locusts away into the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [C probably a body of water north of the Gulf of Suez]. Not one locust was left ·anywhere in [L within the borders of] Egypt. 20 But the Lord ·caused the king to be stubborn again [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh], and he did not let the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] go.
The Darkness
21 Then the Lord told Moses, “·Raise [Stretch; Extend] your hand toward the ·sky [heavens], and darkness will ·cover [L be over] the land of Egypt. It will be so dark ·you will be able to feel it [or you will have to grope around].” 22 Moses ·raised [stretched; extended] his hand toward the ·sky [heavens], and ·total [dense; deep] darkness was everywhere in Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see ·anyone else [L his brother], and no one could go anywhere for three days. But the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had light where they lived.
24 Again ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] called for Moses. He said, “All of you may go and ·worship [serve] the Lord. You may take your ·women and children [L children] with you, but you must leave your flocks and herds here.”
25 Moses said, “You must ·let us have animals to use as [L give into our hands] ·sacrifices [offerings] and burnt offerings [Lev. 1], ·because we have to offer them to [L …for] the Lord our God. 26 So we must take our animals with us; not a hoof will be left behind. We have to use some of the animals to ·worship [serve] the Lord our God. We won’t know exactly what we will need to ·worship [serve] the Lord until we get there.”
27 But the Lord ·made the king stubborn again [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh], so he ·refused [was unwilling] to let them go. 28 Then ·he [L Pharaoh] told Moses, “Get ·out of here [L away from me], ·and don’t come again [L watch out that you don’t see my face again]! ·The next time you see me, [L On the day you see my face,] you will die.”
29 Then Moses ·told the king [L said], “I’ll do what you say. I will not ·come to see you [L see your face] again.”
The Death of the Firstborn
11 Now the Lord had told Moses, “I have one more ·way to punish the king and the people of [L plague to bring on Pharaoh and] Egypt. After this, ·the king [L he] will send all of you away from ·Egypt [L this place]. When he does, he will ·force you to leave completely [drive you away]. 2 Tell ·the men and women of Israel [L in the hearing of the people] ·to ask their neighbors [that each man should ask his neighbor and each woman should ask her neighbor] for things made of silver and gold.” 3 The Lord had caused the Egyptians to ·respect [show favor to] the Israelites, and both ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] officers and the Egyptian people considered Moses to be a great man.
4 So Moses said to ·the king [L him], “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight tonight I will go through all Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die—from the firstborn son of ·the king [L Pharaoh], who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl ·grinding grain [L who is behind the handmill]. Also the firstborn farm animals will die. 6 There will be loud outcries everywhere in Egypt, worse than any time before or after this. 7 But not even a dog will ·bark [growl] at the ·Israelites [L the sons/T children of Israel] or their animals.’ Then you will know that the Lord ·treats Israel differently from [makes a distinction between Israel and] Egypt. 8 All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, ‘Leave and take all your people ·with you [who follow you; L who are on your foot].’ After that, I will leave.” Then Moses very angrily left ·the king [L Pharaoh].
9 The Lord had told Moses, “·The king [L Pharaoh] will not listen to ·you and Aaron [L you] so that I may do many ·miracles [wonders] in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these great ·miracles [wonders] in front of ·the king [L Pharaoh]. But the Lord ·made him stubborn [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh], and the king would not let the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] leave his country.
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