Jan 13 - Exodus 4-6
Exodus
1Responding, Moses said, "They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ 2Therefore, he said to him, "What is that you hold in your hand?" He answered, "A staff.3And the Lord said, "Cast it down upon the ground." He cast it down, and it was turned into a snake, so that Moses fled away4And the Lord said, "Reach out your hand, and take hold of its tail." He reached out his hand and took hold, and it was turned into a staff5"So may they believe," he said, "that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.6And the Lord said again, "Put your hand into your bosom." And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, resembling snow7"Put your hand back," he said, "into your bosom." He put it back and brought it out again, and it was like the rest of his flesh8"If they will not believe you," he said, "and will not listen to the sermon of the first sign, then they will believe the word of the subsequent sign9But if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice: take from the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and whatever you will have drawn from the river will be turned into blood.10Moses said: "I beg you, O Lord, I was not eloquent yesterday or the day before. And from the time that you have spoken to your servant, I have a greater impediment and slowness of tongue.11The Lord said to him: "Who made the mouth of man? And who has formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I12Go on, therefore, and I will be in your mouth. And I will teach you what you shall say.13But he said, "I beg you, O Lord, send whomever else you would send.14The Lord, being angry at Moses, said: "Aaron the Levite is your brother. I know that he is eloquent. Behold, he is going out to meet you, and seeing you, he will rejoice in heart15Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth. And I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will reveal to you what you must do16He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth. But you will be with him in those things that pertain to God17Also, take this staff into your hand; with it you will accomplish the signs.18Moses went forth, and he returned to Jethro, his father in law, and he said to him, "I shall go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they are still alive." And Jethro said to him, "Go in peace.19And so the Lord said to Moses in Midian: "Go, and return to Egypt. For all those who sought your life have died.20Therefore, Moses took his wife and his sons, and he placed them upon a donkey, and he returned into Egypt, carrying the staff of God in his hand21And the Lord said to him, as he was returning to Egypt: "See that you accomplish, in the sight of Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have placed in your hand. I will harden his heart, and he will not release the people22And you shall say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son23I have said to you: Release my son, so that he may serve me. And you were not willing to release him. Behold, I will put to death your firstborn son.’ 24And while he was on the journey, at an inn, the Lord met him, and he was willing to kill him25For this reason, Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, "You are a bloody spouse to me.26And he released him, after she had said, "You are a bloody spouse," because of the circumcision27Then the Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." And he went directly to meet him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him28And Moses explained to Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs which he had commanded29And they arrived at the same time, and they gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel30And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses. And he accomplished the signs in the sight of the people31and the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had looked with favor upon their affliction. And falling prostrate, they worshiped
1After these things, Moses and Aaron entered, and they said to Pharaoh: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Release my people, so that they may sacrifice to me in the desert.2But he responded: "Who is the Lord, that I should listen to his voice and release Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel.3And they said: "The God of the Hebrews has called us, so that we may go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God. Otherwise, a pestilence or the sword may befall us.4The king of Egypt said to them: "Why do you, Moses and Aaron, distract the people from their works? Go back to your burdens.5And Pharaoh said: "The people of the land are many. You see that the turmoil has increased: how much more if you give them rest from the works?6Therefore, on the same day, he instructed the overseers of the works, and the taskmasters of the people, saying7"You shall no longer give chaff to the people to form bricks, as before. But they may go and gather straw8And you shall impose upon them the same quota of bricks that they made before. Neither will you lessen anything, for they are idle, and therefore they cry out, saying: ‘We shall go and sacrifice to our God.9They shall be oppressed with works, and these shall occupy them, so that they may not agree to lying words.10And so the overseers of the works and the taskmasters went out and said to the people: "Thus says Pharaoh: I give you no chaff11Go, and collect it wherever you are able to find it. Neither will anything of your work be diminished.12And the people were dispersed through all the land of Egypt, in order to gather straw13Likewise, the overseers of the works pressured them, saying: "Complete your work each day, just as you were accustomed to do before, when straw was given to you.14And those who were first in the works of the sons of Israel were scourged by Pharaoh’s taskmasters, saying: "Why have you not filled the quota of bricks, neither yesterday, nor today, just as before?15And the first among the sons of Israel came, and they cried out to Pharaoh, saying: "Why do act against your servants in this way16Straw is not given to us, and yet the same amount of bricks is commanded. So we, your servants, are cut up by scourging, and injustice is done against your people.17And he said: "You are idle. And for this reason you say, ‘We shall go and sacrifice to the Lord.18Therefore, go and work. Straw will not be given to you, and you will return the customary number of bricks.19And the first among the sons of Israel saw themselves in a crisis, because it was said to them, "Nothing at all will be lessened from the bricks throughout each day.20And they met with Moses and Aaron, who stood opposite them as they departed from Pharaoh21And they said to them: "May the Lord see and judge, because you have caused our odor to become foul before Pharaoh and his servants, and you have provided him with a sword, in order to kill us.22And Moses returned to the Lord, and he said: "Lord, why have you afflicted this people? Why have you sent me23For from the time that I entered to Pharaoh, so as to speak in your name, he has afflicted your people. And you have not freed them.
1And 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.2And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "I am the Lord3who appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as Almighty God. And I did not reveal to them my name: ADONAI4And I formed a covenant with them, in order to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojourning, in which they were newcomers5I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, with which the Egyptians have oppressed them. And I have remembered my covenant6For 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 judgments7And 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 Egyptians8and 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.9And 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 work10And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying11"Enter and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he may release the sons of Israel from his land.12Moses 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?13And 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 Egypt14These are the leaders of the houses by their families. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi15These 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 Simeon16And 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-seven17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their kindred18The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron and Uzziel. Likewise, the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the kindred of Levi by their families20Now 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-seven21Likewise, the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri22Likewise, the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri23Now Aaron took as a wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, who bore for him Nadab, and Abihu, and Eleazar, and Ithamar24Likewise, the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the kindred of the Korahites25And 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 kindred26These are Aaron and Moses, whom the Lord instructed to lead the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt by their companies27These are those who speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, in order to lead the sons of Israel out of Egypt. These are Moses and Aaron28in the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt29And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I speak to you.30And Moses said in the sight of the Lord: "Lo, I am of uncircumcised lips, how will Pharaoh listen to me?