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EXODUS 7
page 57
6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am
the Lord. I will free you from your oppression
and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt.
I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great
acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own
people, and I will be your God. Then you will
know that I am the Lord your God who has freed
you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring
you into the land I swore to give to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very
own possession. I am the Lord!’”
9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the
Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the
brutality of their slavery.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go back to
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and tell him to let
the people of Israel leave his country.”
12 “But Lord!” Moses objected. “My own people
won’t listen to me anymore. How can I expect
Pharaoh to listen? I’m such a clumsy speaker!*”
13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and
gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded
Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out
of Egypt.
The Ancestors of Moses and Aaron
14 These are the ancestors of some of the clans
of Israel:
The sons of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, were
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their
descendants became the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin,
Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul’s
mother was a Canaanite woman.) Their
descendants became the clans of Simeon.
16 These are the descendants of Levi, as listed
in their family records: The sons of Levi
were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (Levi
lived to be 137 years old.)
17 The descendants of Gershon included
Libni and Shimei, each of whom became
the ancestor of a clan.
18 The descendants of Kohath included
Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (Kohath
lived to be 133 years old.)
19 The descendants of Merari included
Mahli and Mushi.
These are the clans of the Levites, as listed in
their family records.
20 Amram
married his father’s sister Jochebed,
and she gave birth to his sons, Aaron and
Moses. (Amram lived to be 137 years old.)
21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg,
and Zicri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan,
and Sithri.
6:12 Hebrew I have uncircumcised lips; also in 6:30.
23 Aaron
married Elisheba, the daughter of
Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and
she gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and
Abiasaph. Their descendants became the
clans of Korah.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the
daughters of Putiel, and she gave birth to
his son, Phinehas.
These are the ancestors of the Levite families,
listed according to their clans.
26 The Aaron and Moses named in this list are
the same ones to whom the Lord said, “Lead the
people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an
army.” 27 It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, about leading the
people of Israel out of Egypt.
28 When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land
of Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord! Tell
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, everything I am
telling you.” 30 But Moses argued with the Lord,
saying, “I can’t do it! I’m such a clumsy speaker!
Why should Pharaoh listen to me?”
Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Serpent
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close
attention to this. I will make you seem like
God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will
be your prophet. 2 Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh
to let the people of Israel leave his country. 3 But
7
• Loneliness
E XODU S 6:12
Moses’ life is proof that it can be a lonely
business to follow and obey the Lord.
Moses had obeyed God by confronting
the pharaoh, and all that had come of it
was more pressure on the Hebrew slaves.
This, of course, had caused Moses’ own
people to turn against him. He was in this
by himself.
It’s difficult enough when people “out
there” ignore us and won’t listen to us
or take us seriously. But when people
close to us—family, members of our
church, friends, and neighbors—turn
against us, we experience a particularly
sharp loneliness. When these difficult
times come, we can follow Moses’
example and turn to God. We can
express our feelings honestly to the one
who understands the big picture. When
we stay close to our God, we can find
our way through the painful darkness of
loneliness.