Study Desk

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them.

But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.

“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.”

Pharaoh then commanded all his people: “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.

Then some shepherds arrived and drove them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their flock.

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

But when I stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my miracles that I will perform in it, after that, he will let you go.

Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”

The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go.

I told you: Let my son go so that he may worship me, but you refused to let him go. Look, I am about to kill your firstborn son!”

But Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers—that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”

No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault.”