Exodus Chapter 3

Moses and the Burning Bush

            ¹ Moses was pasturing Jethro’s/Reuel’s flock and led it to the west side of the open country around Horeb/Sinai, the mountain of God. ² The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing bush. Moses looked up and saw the bush on fire, but it didn’t burn up. ³ He said, “I have to go over and see this curious thing. Why isn’t it burning up?” ⁴ When the LORD saw him coming to look, he called from the bush,

“Moses!”

“Yes?”

⁵ “Don’t come any closer. Take your sandals off. You’re standing on sacred ground. ⁶ I’m the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.

              ⁷ “I’ve seen my people’s suffering in Egypt and paid attention to their outcry because of the taskmasters. ⁸ I’ve come down to deliver them and bring them out to a good land with lots of room, a land flowing with milk and honey, the territory of the Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite. ⁹ I’ve seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ Go; I’ll send you to Pharaoh so you can bring my people out of Egypt.”

¹¹ “Why me?”

¹² “I’ll be with you. This will be the sign that I’ve sent you: when you’ve brought them out, you’ll worship me at this mountain.”                                                                                                                                  

Ex 3:1-12

¹³ Moses said, “So I’m going to the Israelites to say their ancestors’ God has sent me. What if they ask me what your name is? What will I tell them?”

            ¹⁴ “I AM WHO I AM. Tell them, ‘I AM sent me, ¹⁵ Yahveh God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ That’s my name forever, the name all generations will remember me by. ¹⁶ Get the elders in Israel together and tell them that Yahveh, your ancestors’ God, appeared to you and said, ‘I’m concerned about you^pl and what they’re doing to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ I’ll take you away from the sufferings to the territory of the Canaanite, Hittite, Amorite, Perizzite, Hivite, and Jebusite, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ¹⁸ They’ll listen.

^“Go to the king of Egypt with the elders and say, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day journey into the open country and sacrifice to him.’ ¹⁹ He won’t let you go unless he’s forced to. ²⁰ I’ll strike Egypt with my miracles. Then he’ll let you go. ²¹ I’ll make the Egyptians favorable to you so when you leave, you won’t leave empty-handed. ²² Every woman needs to ask her neighbor and the woman that lives in her house, to give her silver and gold items, and articles of clothing. Put them on your sons and daughters. That’s how you’ll ‘plunder’ the Egyptians.”                     

Ex 3:13-22