Study Desk

But Moses replied, "When I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,' they will ask me, ‘What is his name?' So what can I tell them?"

I have decided that I will bring them out of Egypt, where they are being treated cruelly, and will take them to a rich and fertile land—the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Then Moses answered the Lord , "But suppose the Israelites do not believe me and will not listen to what I say. What shall I do if they say that you did not appear to me?"

If in spite of these two miracles they still will not believe you, and if they refuse to listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. The water will turn into blood."

Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go back to my relatives in Egypt to see if they are still alive." Jethro agreed and told him good-bye.

They believed, and when they heard that the Lord had come to them and had seen how they were being treated cruelly, they bowed down and worshiped.

Then Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt and said, "The Lord , the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can hold a festival in the desert to honor me.'"

But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before, not one brick less. They don't have enough work to do, and that is why they keep asking me to let them go and offer sacrifices to their God!

Make them work harder and keep them busy, so that they won't have time to listen to a pack of lies."

As they were leaving, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them.

They said to Moses and Aaron, "The Lord has seen what you have done and will punish you for making the king and his officers hate us. You have given them an excuse to kill us."

Reuben, Jacob's first-born, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names.

Simeon had six sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names.

Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Levi lived 137 years.

Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei, and they had many descendants.

Korah had three sons: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; they were the ancestors of the divisions of the clan of Korah.

At the time when they spoke to the king, Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three.

Then the king called for his wise men and magicians, and by their magic they did the same thing.

They threw down their walking sticks, and the sticks turned into snakes. But Aaron's stick swallowed theirs.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go to the king and tell him that the Lord says, ‘Let my people go, so that they can worship me.