[1] Now Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the
priest of Midian: and he took the flock to the back of the waste land and
came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] And the angel of the Lord was seen
by him in a flame of fire coming out of a thorn-tree: and he saw that the
tree was on fire, but it was not burned up. [3] And Moses said, I will go
and see this strange thing, why the tree is not burned up, [4] And when the
Lord saw him turning to one side to see, God said his name out of the tree,
crying, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. [5] And he said, Do not come
near: take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is
holy. [6] And he said, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses kept his face covered for
fear of looking on God. [7] And God said, Truly, I have seen the grief of
my people in Egypt, and their cry because of their cruel masters has come
to my ears; for I have knowledge of their sorrows; [8] And I have come down
to take them out of the hands of the Egyptians, guiding them out of that
land into a good land and wide, into a land flowing with milk and honey;
into the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the
Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. [9] For now, truly, the cry of
the children of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the cruel behaviour
of the Egyptians to them. [10] Come, then, and I will send you to Pharaoh,
so that you may take my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. [11]
And Moses said to God, Who am I to go to Pharaoh and take the children of
Israel out of Egypt? [12] And he said, Truly I will be with you; and this
will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have taken the
children of Israel out of Egypt, you will give worship to God on this
mountain. [13] And Moses said to God, When I come to the children of Israel
and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you: and they say
to me, What is his name? what am I to say to them? [14] And God said to
him, I AM WHAT I AM: and he said, Say to the children of Israel, I AM has
sent me to you. [15] And God went on to say to Moses, Say to the children
of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac,
and of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and this is my
sign to all generations. [16] Go and get together the chiefs of the
children of Israel, and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the
God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has been seen by me, and has said,
Truly I have taken up your cause, because of what is done to you in Egypt;
[17] And I have said, I will take you up out of the sorrows of Egypt into
the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite
and the Hivite and the Jebusite, into a land flowing with milk and honey.
[18] And they will give ear to your voice: and you, with the chiefs of
Israel, will go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him, The Lord,
the God of the Hebrews, has come to us: let us then go three days' journey
into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God. [19] And I am
certain that the king of Egypt will not let you go without being forced.
[20] But I will put out my hand and overcome Egypt with all the wonders
which I will do among them: and after that he will let you go. [21] And I
will give this people grace in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that when you
go out you will go out with your hands full. [22] For every woman will get
from her neighbour and from the woman living in her house, ornaments of
silver and gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and your
daughters; you will take the best of their goods from the Egyptians.