Exodus 3

The Burning Bush

1Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the amountain of God. 2 bAnd cthe angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, dGod called to him eout of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Do not come near; ftake your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6And he said, g“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for hhe was afraid to look at God.

7Then the Lord said, i“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their jtaskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8and kI have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and lto bring them up out of that land to a mgood and broad land, a land nflowing with milk and honey, to the place of othe Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9And now, behold, pthe cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the qoppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 rCome, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, sWho am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12He said, tBut I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, uyou shall serve God on this mountain.”

13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”
Or  I am what I am, or  I will be what I will be
And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: wI am has sent me to you.’”
15God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,
The word Lord, when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb hayah, “to be” in verse 14
the yGod of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is zmy name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
16Go and aagather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, ab“I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17and I promise that acI will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land adflowing with milk and honey.”’ 18And aethey will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel afshall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has agmet with us; and now, please let us go a three daysjourney into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt ahwill not let you go unless compelled aiby a mighty hand.
Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew  go, not by a mighty hand
20So akI will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with alall the wonders that I will do in it; amafter that he will let you go. 21And anI will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for aosilver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So apyou shall plunder the Egyptians.”

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