¹² So He said, ^(A)“I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a ^(B)sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

¹⁸ Then ^(A)they will heed your voice; and ^(B)you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has ^(C)met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

²³ So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed ^(A)I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

First Encounter with Pharaoh

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may ^[a]hold ^(A)a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”

³ So they said, ^(A)“The God of the Hebrews has ^(B)met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with ^(C)pestilence or with the sword.”