Exodus 6

1 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Now you will see what I will do to the king [and his people]. I will powerfully [MTY] compel him to let my people go. In fact, by my power [MTY] [I will force] him to expel them from his land!”

And the Lord said to Moses: “Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh. For through a strong hand he will release them, and by a mighty hand he will cast them from his land.”

2 God also said to Moses/me, “I am Yahweh.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “I am the Lord,

3 I am the one who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and [told them that I] was God Almighty, but I did not [tell] them that my name [was Yahweh].

who appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as Almighty God. And I did not reveal to them my name: ADONAI.

4 I also made my solemn agreement with them, promising to give them the Canaan region. That was the area in which they were living as foreigners.

And I formed a covenant with them, in order to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojourning, in which they were newcomers.

5 Furthermore, I have heard the Israeli people as they were groaning [because of the hard work that] the Egyptians forced them to do as their slaves. I have thought about that solemn promise [that I made].

I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, with which the Egyptians have oppressed them. And I have remembered my covenant.

6 So tell the Israeli people that [I said this: ] ‘I am Yahweh. I will free you from the burdens [of heavy work] that the Egyptians [have given you]. I will free you from being their slaves. With my great power [MTY] and by punishing them [MTY] very severely, I will save you.

For this reason, say to the sons of Israel: I am the Lord who will lead you away from the work house of the Egyptians, and rescue you from servitude, and also redeem you with an exalted arm and great judgments.

7 I will cause you to be my own people, and I will be your God, [the one you worship]. You will truly know that I, Yahweh your God, am the one who has freed you from the burdens [of work as slaves] of the Egyptians.

And I will take you to myself as my people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the work house of the Egyptians,

8 And I will bring you to the land that I solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. You will possess it [forever]. I, Yahweh, am [promising this].’”

and who brought you into the land, over which I lifted up my hand in order to grant it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And I will grant it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”

9 Moses/I told that to the Israeli people, but they did not believe what he/I said. They were very discouraged [IDM] because of the hard work [that they had been forced to do as slaves].

And so, Moses explained all these things to the sons of Israel, who did not agree with him, because of their anguish of spirit and very difficult work.

10 Yahweh said to Moses/me,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

11 “Go and tell the king of Egypt [again] that he must allow the Israeli people to leave his land!”

“Enter and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he may release the sons of Israel from his land.”

12 But Moses/I said to Yahweh, “Listen [to what I am saying]. [Even] the Israeli people have not paid attention to what I [told them]. But I am a poor speaker. [MET, MTY] So (why should the king pay attention to what I tell him?/the king will certainly not pay attention to what I [tell him]!)” [RHQ]

Moses responded in the sight the Lord: “Behold, the sons of Israel do not listen to me. And how will Pharaoh listen to me, especially since I am of uncircumcised lips?”

13 But Yahweh spoke to Aaron and Moses/me and commanded them/us, “Tell the Israeli people and the king of Egypt that I have [commissioned you two] to lead the Israeli people out of Egypt.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and he gave them a commandment for the sons of Israel, and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, that they should lead the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt.

14 (Here is/I will now give you) a list of the ancestors of [Moses/me and Aaron]: The sons of Reuben, who was Jacob’s oldest son, [were] Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. They were [ancestors of] the clans [that have those same names].

These are the leaders of the houses by their families. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

15 The sons of Simeon [were] Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul’s mother was a woman from the Canaan people-group. Those men also were [ancestors of] clans [that have those same names].

These are the kindred of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite women. These are the progeny of Simeon.

16 These are the names of the sons of Levi, in the order in which they were born: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi was 137 years old [when he died].

And these are the names of the sons of Levi by their kindred: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. Now the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven.

17 The sons of Gershon [were] Libni and Shimei. They were ancestors of clans that have those names.

The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their kindred.

18 The sons of Kohath [were] Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath was 133 years old [when he died].

The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron and Uzziel. Likewise, the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three.

19 The sons of Merari [were] Mahli and Mushi. All of those people whose names [I have listed] belonged to tribes/clans descended from Levi, in the order in which they were born.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the kindred of Levi by their families.

20 Amram married his father’s sister, Jochebed. She was the mother of Aaron and Moses/me. Amram was 137 years old [when he died].

Now Amram took as a wife Jochebed, his paternal aunt, who bore for him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.

21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

Likewise, the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

Likewise, the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to [four sons]: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Now Aaron took as a wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, who bore for him Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar.

24 The sons of Korah [were] Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. They were the ancestors of the Korah people-group.

Likewise, the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the kindred of the Korahites.

25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas. [That ends the list of] the families and clans that were descended from Levi.

And truly Eleazar, the son of Aaron, took a wife from the daughters of Putiel. And she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levitical families by their kindred.

26 Aaron and Moses/I were the ones to whom Yahweh said, “Lead all the families and clans of the Israeli people out of Egypt.”

These are Aaron and Moses, whom the Lord instructed to lead the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt by their companies.

27 They/We were the ones who spoke to the king of Egypt about bringing the Israeli people out of Egypt.

These are those who speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, in order to lead the sons of Israel out of Egypt. These are Moses and Aaron,

28 On the day that Yahweh spoke to Moses/me in Egypt,

in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt.

29 he said, “I am Yahweh. You must tell the king everything that I say to you.”

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I speak to you.”

30 But Moses/I said to Yahweh, “Listen to me. I am not a good speaker. [MET, MTY] So (the king will certainly not pay attention to what I say/why should the king pay attention to what I tell him?)!” [RHQ]

And Moses said in the sight of the Lord: “Lo, I am of uncircumcised lips, how will Pharaoh listen to me?”