Exodus 6
The Lord reminds Moses of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give them the land of Canaan, and that he has heard the Israelites' groaning under Egyptian oppression. The Lord instructs Moses to tell the Israelites that he will lead them out of Egypt and into the promised land, but the Israelites do not believe Moses due to their anguish and hard labor. The Lord then gives Moses and Aaron a command to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to speak to Pharaoh, despite Moses' concerns about his ability to speak effectively. The chapter also lists the genealogy of the leaders of the Israelites, including the sons of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi.
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?
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