said to Moses, "Go in peace."
19The LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt because everyone there who wanted to kill you has died."20So Moses took his wife and his children, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. Moses also carried the shepherd's rod from God in his hand.
21The LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, make sure that you appear before Pharaoh and do all the amazing acts that I've given you the power to do. But I'll make him stubborn so that he won't let the people go. 22Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my oldest son. 23I said to you, "Let my son go so he could worship me." But you refused to let him go. As a result, now I'm going to kill your oldest son.'"
24During their journey, as they camped overnight, the LORD met Mosesf and tried to kill him. 25But Zipporah took a sharp-edged flint stone and cut off her son's foreskin. Then she touched Moses' genitalsg with it, and she said, "You are my bridegroom because of bloodshed."26So the LORD let him alone. At that time, she announced, "A bridegroom because of bloodshed by circumcision."
27The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he went, and Aaron met him at God's mountain and greeted him with a kiss. 28Moses told Aaron what the LORD had said about his mission and all the signs that the LORD had told him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron called together all the Israelite elders. 30Aaron told them everything that the LORD had told to Moses, and he performed the signs in front of the people. 31The people believed. When they heard that the LORD had paid attention to the Israelites and had seen their oppression, they bowed down and worshipped.
First meeting with Pharaoh
Exodus 5Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, Israel's God, says: 'Let my people go so that they can hold a festival for me in the desert.'"
2But Pharaoh said, "Who is this LORD whom I'm supposed to obey by letting Israel go? I don't know this LORD, and I certainly won't let Israel go."
3Then they said, "The Hebrews' God has appeared to us. Let us go on a three-day journey into the desert so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. Otherwise, the LORD will give us a deadly disease or violence."
4The king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why are you making the people slack off from their work? Do the hard work yourselves!"5Pharaoh continued, "The land's people are now numerous. Yet you want them to stop their hard work?"
6On the very same day Pharaoh commanded the people's slave masters and supervisors, 7"Don't supply the people with the straw they need to make bricks like you did before. Let them go out and gather the straw for themselves. 8But still make sure that they produce the same number of bricks as they made before. Don't reduce the number! They are weak and lazy, and that's why they cry, 'Let's go and offer sacrifices to our God.'9Make the men's work so hard that it's all they can do, and they can't focus on these empty lies."
10So the people's slave masters and supervisors came out and spoke to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says, 'I'm not giving you straw anymore. 11Go and get the straw on your own, wherever you can find it. But your work won't be reduced at all.'"12So the people spread out all through the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13The slave masters drove them hard and said, "Make sure you make the same daily quota as when you had the straw."14The Israelite supervisors, whom Pharaoh's slave masters had set over them, were also beaten and asked, "Why didn't you produce the same number of bricks yesterday and today as you did before?"
15Then the Israelite supervisors came and pleaded to Pharaoh, "Why do you treat your servants like this?16No straw is supplied to your servants, yet they say to us, 'Make bricks!' Look at how your servants are being beaten! Your own people are to blame!"
17Pharaoh replied, "You are lazy bums, nothing but lazy bums. That's why you say, 'Let us go and offer sacrifices to the LORD.'18Go and get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you still need to make the same number of bricks."
19The Israelite supervisors saw how impossible their situation was when they were commanded, "Don't reduce your daily quota of bricks."20When they left Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21The supervisors said to them, "Let the LORD see and judge what you've done! You've made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants. You've given them a reason to kill us."
22Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, "My Lord, why have you abused this people? Why did you send me for this?23Ever since I first came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has abused this people. And you've done absolutely nothing to rescue your people."
God reassures Moses
Exodus 6The LORD replied to Moses, "Now you will see what I'll do to Pharaoh. In fact, he'll be so eager to let them go that he'll drive them out of his land by force."
2God also said to Moses: "I am the LORD. 3I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty,h but I didn't reveal myself to them by my name 'The LORD.'4I also set up my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan where they lived as immigrants. 5I've also heard the cry of grief of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have turned into slaves, and I've remembered my covenant. 6Therefore, say to the Israelites, 'I am the LORD. I'll bring you out from Egyptian forced labor. I'll rescue you from your slavery to them. I'll set you free with great power and with momentous events of justice. 7I'll take you as my people, and I'll be your God. You will know that I, the LORD, am your God, who has freed you from Egyptian forced labor. 8I'll bring you into the land that I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I'll give it to you as your possession. I am the LORD.'"9Moses told this to the Israelites. But they didn't listen to Moses, because of their complete exhaustion and their hard labor.
10Then the LORD said to Moses, 11"Go and tell Pharaoh, Egypt's king, to let the Israelites out of his land."
12But Moses said to the LORD, "The Israelites haven't even listened to me. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen to me, especially since I'm not a very good speaker?"13Nevertheless, the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, Egypt's king, giving them orders to let the Israelites go from the land of Egypt.
Family line of Moses and Aaron
14These were the leaders of their households.
The descendants of Reuben, Israel's oldest son: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
These were Reuben's clans. 15The Simeonites: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, a Canaanite woman's son. These were Simeon's clans.
16These were the Levites' names by their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. 17The Gershonites: Libni and Shimei and their clans. 18The Kohathites: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. 19The Merarites: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans by their generations.
20Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister. She gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. 21The Izharites: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22The Uzzielites: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23Aaron married Elisheba, Amminadab's daughter and Nahshon's sister. She gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24The Korahites: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans. 25Aaron's son Eleazar married one of Putiel's daughters. She gave birth to Phinehas. These were the leaders of Levite households by their clans.
26It was this same Aaron and Moses whom the LORD commanded, "Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt in military formation."27It was also this same Moses and Aaron who spoke