Exodus 3

1 And Moses was feeding the flock of Jothor his father-in-law, the priest of Madiam; and he brought the sheep near to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Choreb.

Moses was a shepherd, looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the Midianite priest. He led the flock far into the wilderness until he came to God's mountain, Mount Horeb.

2 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire out of the bush, and he sees that the bush burns with fire, —but the bush was not consumed.

There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from inside a bush. Moses looked carefully and saw that though the bush was on fire, it wasn't being burned up.

3 And Moses said, I will go near and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.

“Let me go over and take a look,” Moses said to himself. “It's very odd to see a bush that's not burning up.”

4 And when the Lord saw that he drew near to see, the Lord called him out of the bush, saying, Moses, Moses; and he said, What is it?

When the Lord saw that Moses was coming to take a look, God called to him from inside the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “I'm here,” Moses replied.

5 And he said, Draw not near hither: loose your sandals from off your feet, for the place whereon you stand is holy ground.

“Don't come any closer!” God told him. “Take off your sandals because you're standing on holy ground.”

6 And he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraam, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and Moses turned away his face, for he was afraid to gaze at God.

Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7 And the Lord said to Moses, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and I have heard their cry [caused] by their taskmasters; for I know their affliction.

“I'm completely aware of the misery of my people in Egypt,” the Lord told him. “I have heard them crying out because of their taskmasters. I know how much they're suffering.

8 And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land, and to bring them into a good and wide land, into a land flowing with milk and honey, into the place of the Chananites, and the Chettites, and Amorites, and Pherezites, and Gergesites, and Evites, and Jebusites.

That's why I have come down to rescue them from Egyptian oppression and to take them up from that country to a productive, wide-open land—a land flowing with milk and honey—where currently the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites are living.

9 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to me, and I have seen the affliction with which the Egyptians afflict them.

Listen! The cries of the Israelites have reached me, and I have seen how badly the Egyptians are mistreating them.

10 And now come, I will send you to Pharao king of Egypt, and you shall bring out my people the children of Israel from the land of Egypt.

Now you must leave, because I'm sending you to Pharaoh to lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

11 And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharao king of Egypt, and that I should bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt?

But Moses said to God, “Why me? I'm a nobody! I couldn't go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt!”

12 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that I shall send you forth, —when you bring out my people out of Egypt, then you shall serve God in this mountain.

“I'll be with you,” the Lord replied, “and this will be the sign that it is really me who is sending you: when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

13 And Moses said to God, Behold, I shall go forth to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of our fathers has sent me to you; and they will ask me, What is his name? What shall I say to them?

Then Moses said to God, “Look! If I were to go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ —then what should I tell them?”

14 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING; and he said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you.

God replied to Moses, “‘I Am’ is who I am. Tell the Israelites this: ‘I Am’ has sent me to you.”

15 And God said again to Moses, Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of our fathers, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and my memorial to generations of generations.

Then God said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you are to call me for all generations to come.’

16 Go then and gather the elders of the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, The Lord God of our fathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, saying, I have surely looked upon you, and upon all the things which have happened to you in Egypt.

Go, and call all the elders of Israel to meet with you. Tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He said, “I have paid close attention to what's been happening to you in Egypt.

17 And he said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of the Egyptians to the land of the Chananites and the Chettites, and Amorites and Pherezites, and Gergesites, and Evites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.

I have decided to take you away from the misery you're having in Egypt and bring you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

18 And they shall listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go in to Pharao king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, The God of the Hebrews has called us; we will go then a journey of three days into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to our God.

“The elders of Israel will accept what you say. Then you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews has revealed himself to us. So please let us go three days journey into the desert so we can offer sacrifices to the Lord our God there.’

19 But I know that Pharao king of Egypt will not let you go, save with a mighty hand;

But I know that the king of Egypt won't let you go unless he's forced to do so by a power stronger than him.

20 and I will stretch out my hand, and strike the Egyptians with all my wonders, which I shall work amongst them, and after that he will send you forth.

So I will use my power to inflict on Egypt all the terrifying things that I'm about to do to them. After that he'll let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, and whenever you shall escape, you shall not depart empty.

I will make the Egyptians treat you well as a people, so when you go you won't leave empty-handed.

22 But [every] woman shall ask of her neighbour and fellow lodger, articles of gold and silver, and apparel; and you shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters, —and spoil you the Egyptians.

Every woman will ask her neighbor as well as any woman living in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and put them on your sons and daughters. In this way you will take the wealth of the Egyptians with you.”