Exodus 6

God promises to save the Israelites

1Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said: ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my powerful signs, he will let my people go. Because of my powerful signs, he will command them to leave his country.’

2And God said to Moses: ‘I am the LORD. 3I showed myself to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as God Almighty. But I did not let them know me by my name, the LORD. 4I also made my special promise to them. I promised to give them the country of Canaan. I promised to give them the country where they had lived as foreign people. 5And I have heard the Israelites when they cry. They cry because the Egyptians cause them to live as slaves. I have remembered my special promise. 6So you must say this to the Israelites. “I am the LORD. I will remove you from the authority of the Egyptians. You will not be their slaves again. I will bring you back to myself by my powerful authority. I will judge the Egyptians by the great things that I will do. 7I will make you my own people and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I am your God who saved you from the authority of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you to another country. I made a very serious promise to give that other country to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you and it will be your own country. I am the LORD.”’

9Moses reported these words to the Israelites. But they did not listen to him, because their Egyptian masters were so cruel to them. They refused to hope for good things. Their Egyptian masters had broken their spirits and made them very sad.

10Then the LORD said to Moses: 11‘Go and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him that he must let the Israelites go out of his country.’ 12But Moses said to the LORD: ‘Look! Even the Israelites have not listened to me. So why should Pharaoh listen to me? My lips are unable to speak good words from God.’

13Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of the country called Egypt.

The Ancestors of Moses and Aaron

14These were the leaders of the whole families:

The sons of Reuben, Israel‘s oldest son: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were Reuben’s families.

15The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a Canaanite woman. These were Simeon’s families.

16These are the names of the sons of Levi from the oldest to the youngest: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived for 137 years.

17The sons of Gershon and their families: Libni and Shimei.

18The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived for 133 years.

19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

These were the families of Levi from the oldest to the youngest.

20Amram married Jochebed, his father’s sister. Aaron and Moses were their sons. Amram lived for 137 years.

21The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg and Sithri.

22The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

23Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba’s children were: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

24The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the families of people from Korah.

25Eleazar, Aaron’s son, married one of Putiel’s daughters. Phinehas was their son.

These were the leaders of the families of the Levites.

26This Aaron and Moses are the same men to whom the LORD spoke. He said: ‘Lead the Israelites out of the country of Egypt. Lead them out as an army of people.’ 27Yes, it was the same Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They told him that the Israelites would leave Egypt.

Aaron will speak for Moses

28When the LORD spoke to Moses in the country of Egypt, 29he said, ‘I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh, King of Egypt, everything that I tell you.’ 30Then Moses said: ‘Look, my lips are unable to speak good words from the LORD. Why should Pharaoh listen to me?’