One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 110
January 26
his covenant promise to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He looked down on
the people of Israel and knew it was
time to act.*
3:1 One day
Moses was tending the
flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,* the
priest of Midian. He led the flock far
into the wilderness and came to Si
nai,* the mountain of God. 2 There the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
Moses stared in amazement. Though
the bush was engulfed in flames, it
didn’t burn up. 3 “This is amazing,”
Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that
bush burning up? I must go see it.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming
to take a closer look, God called to him
from the middle of the bush, “Moses!
Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
5 “Do not come any closer,” the
Lord warned. “Take off your sandals,
for you are standing on holy ground.
6 I am the God of your father*—the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob.” When Moses heard
this, he covered his face because he
was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord told him, “I have
certainly seen the oppression of my
people in Egypt. I have heard their
cries of distress because of their
harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware
of their suffering. 8 So I have come
down to rescue them from the power
of the Egyptians and lead them out of
Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with
milk and honey—the land where the
Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Periz
zites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel
has reached me, and I have seen how
harshly the Egyptians abuse them.
10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pha
raoh. You must lead my people Israel
out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses protested to God, “Who
am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who
am I to lead the people of Israel out
of Egypt?”
12 God answered, “I will be with
100
you. And this is your sign that I am
the one who has sent you: When you
have brought the people out of Egypt,
you will worship God at this very
mountain.”
13 But
Moses protested, “If I go to
the people of Israel and tell them,
‘The God of your ancestors has sent
me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What
is his name?’ Then what should I tell
them?”
14 God replied to Moses, “I Am Who
I Am.* Say this to the people of Israel:
I Am has sent me to you.” 15 God also
said to Moses, “Say this to the people
of Israel: 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 eternal name,
my name to remember for all
generations.
16 “Now go and call together all the
elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘Yahweh,
the God of your ancestors—the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been
watching closely, and I see how the
Egyptians are treating you. 17 I have
promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a
land flowing with milk and honey—
the land where the C
anaanites, Hit
tites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites now live.”’
18 “The elders of Is
rael will accept
your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt and
tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the
Hebrews, has met with us. So please
let us take a three-day journey into
the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the
Lord, our God.’
19 “But I know that the king of Egypt
will not let you go unless a mighty
hand forces him.* 20 So I will raise my
hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among
them. Then at last he will let you go.
21 And I will cause the Egyptians to
look favorably on you. They will give
you gifts when you go so you will not
leave empty-handed. 22 Every Israelite
