1Moses was a shepherd, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, who was the priest of Midian. Moses led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2Then the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire coming out of the middle of a bush. Moses looked, and even though the bush was on fire, it was not burning up.
3Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight. Why isn't the bush burning up?"
4When Yahweh saw that Moses had turned aside to look, God called to him from inside the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Here I am."
5Then God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6He also said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7Yahweh said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I know about their suffering.
8So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
9And now, the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen how the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10So now I am sending you to Pharaoh, so you can lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
11Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12God said, "I will certainly be with you. This will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
13Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What should I tell them?"
14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Then he said, "Tell the Israelites this: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
15God also told Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered for all generations.
16Go and gather the elders of Israel. Tell them, 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—appeared to me. He said, "I have definitely paid attention to you and seen what is being done to you in Egypt;"
17and I have said that I will bring you up out of the suffering in Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—to a land flowing with milk and honey."'"
18They will listen to you. Then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Please let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to Yahweh, our God.'
19I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even when faced with a mighty display of power.
20So I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my amazing deeds that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21I will make these people look favorably on the Egyptians, and when you leave, you will not go empty-handed.
22Instead, every woman will ask her female neighbors and guests for silver jewelry, gold jewelry, and clothes. You will put these on your sons and daughters, and in this way, you will strip the Egyptians of their valuables.”