1Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my strong hand, he will let them go, and he will drive them out of his land."
2God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am Yahweh."
3I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not make myself known to them by my name Yahweh.
4I also made a covenant with them, promising to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they traveled and lived as foreigners.
5Also, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians are keeping as slaves, and I have remembered my promise.
6Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will free you from the heavy burdens the Egyptians place on you, and I will rescue you from their slavery. I will set you free with my mighty power and with great acts of judgment.
7I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God; and you will know that I am Yahweh, your God, who brings you out from under the heavy burdens of the Egyptians.
8I will bring you into the land that I solemnly promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as your inheritance: I am Yahweh.’
9Moses told this to the people of Israel, but they would not listen to Moses because they were so discouraged and their slavery was so cruel.
10Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
11“Go and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and tell him to let the people of Israel leave his land.”
12Moses said to Yahweh, “Look, the people of Israel haven’t listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me, since I am not a good speaker?”
13Yahweh gave commands to Moses and Aaron for the people of Israel and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14These are the leaders of their family groups. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
15The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
16These are the names of Levi’s sons in order of their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived to be 137 years old.
17The sons of Gershon, according to their families, were Libni and Shimei.
18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be 133 years old.
19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites in order of their generations.
20Amram married Jochebed, his father’s sister, and she gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived to be 137 years old.
21The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon; and she gave birth to Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
25Eleazar, Aaron’s son, married one of Putiel’s daughters, and she gave birth to Phinehas. These are the leaders of the Levite families, organized by their households.
26These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, “Lead the people of Israel out of Egypt in organized groups.”
27These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. These are Moses and Aaron.
28On the day Yahweh spoke to Moses in Egypt,
29Yahweh said to Moses, “I am Yahweh. Tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I tell you.”
30Moses replied to Yahweh, “My speaking is unclear, so how will Pharaoh listen to me?”