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18 Whereupon the king of Egypt sent for the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this and saved the male chil19 dren? And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women

are not like the Egyptian; for they bring forth instantly. Be20 fore the midwives can come to them, they are delivered. And

God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied 21 and grew mighty. And because the midwives feared God they 22 established families for themselves. Then Pharao gave orders to all his people saying, Every male child which is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the river, but preserve every female alive.

II.

Now there was a certain man of the tribe of Levi who had married one of the daughters of Levi and she conceived and 2 bore a son. And when they saw that he was a beautiful child 3 they hid him three months. But when they could not conceal him any longer, his mother provided for him a wicker basket and plaistered it with bitumenous pitch and put the child into it and placed it in the stagnant water by the side of the river. 4 And his sister watched it at a distance to see what would be5 come of it. And the daughter of Pharao came to bathe her

self at the river and her maids were walking with her along the bank. And seeing the basket in the stagnant water she sent 6 her maid and had it brought to her. And upon opening it she saw in the basket a child weeping. And the daughter of Pharao had compassion on it and said, This is one of the Hebrew 7 children. Whereupon his sister said to Pharao's daughter, Shall I call for thee a nurse from among the Hebrews to suckle the child for thee? And the daughter of Pharao said, Go. 8 Upon which the girl went and called the child's mother. And 9 the daughter of Pharao said to her, Take care of this child for 10 me and suckle it for me; and I will pay thee the wages. So the woman took the child and suckled it; and when the boy was grown up she brought him to Pharao's daughter and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, saying, I drew him out of the water.

11

And after a course of many years, when Moses was become great he went out to his brethren the children of Israel. And as he was observing their distress, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, who was one of his brethren the children of Israel.

12 Whereupon looking about on every side and seeing no body 13 he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. And going out the next day he saw two Hebrew men quarrelling and said 14 to him who was in the wrong, Why dost thou beat thy neigh

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bour? To which he replied, Who made thee a ruler or a judge over us?Dost thou mean to kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? Thereupon Moses was alarmed and said, Is the thing become so public?

Now when Pharao heard of this deed he sought to slay' Moses, but he withdrew from the presence of Pharao and took 16 up his abode in the land of Madiam. When he came to the land of Madiam he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Madiam had seven daughters who tended the flocks of their father Jothor. And they having come to the well began to draw water to fill the troughs that they might water the flocks of their father Jothor, and the shepherds came and drove them 17 away. Upon which Moses arose and protected them and drew 18 water for them and watered their flocks. And when they came

to their father Raguel, he said to them, Why have you come 19 so soon to-day? To which they replied, An Egyptian protected us from the shepherds and drew for us and watered our 20 flocks. And he said to his daughters, And where is he? Why

did you leave the man behind? Therefore call him that he may 21 eat bread. So Moses dwelt with the man; and he gave him 22 his daughter Sepphora to be his wife. And his wife conceived and bore him a son; And Moses called his name Gersam, saying, Because I am a sojourner in a strange land.

23

And after those many years the king of Egypt died and the Israelites groaned under their labours and raised a loud outcry; and their cry on account of their labours ascended up to 24 God. And God heard their groans. And God remembered his covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaak and Jacob. And God looked upon the Israelites and was made known to them.

III. Now when Moses was feeding the flocks of Jothor his father in law the priest of Madiam he led them below the wil2 derness and came to the mountain Choreb. And an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a fire blazing out of a bush. And when he saw that the bush blazed with fire, but was not con,

3 sumed, Moses said, I will go near and see this great sight; 4 why the bush is not consumed. But when the Lord saw that

he drew near to look; the Lord called to him out of the bush saying, Moses! Moses! And he said, What is it? And he 5 said, Approach not hither. Loose the sandals from thy feet; 6 for the place where thou standest is holy ground. Then he

said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and 7 the God of Isaak, and the God of Jacob. Whereupon Moses turned away his face; for he was afraid to look forward in the presence of God. And the Lord said to Moses, I have indeed seen the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their 8 cry on the account of their task masters; for I know their sorrow, therefore I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land, and conduct them to a land good and spacious-to a land flowing with milk and honey-to the country of the Chananites and the Chettites and the Amorites, and the Pherezites, and the Gergasites and 9 the Evites and the Jebusites. And now behold the cry of the children of Israel hath reached me and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them, now therefore 10 come: I will send thee to Pharao king of Egypt and thou shalt 11 bring my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. There

upon Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharao king of Egypt, and that I should bring the Israelites out of the 12 land of Egypt? Upon which God spoke to Moses saying, That I will be with thee, even this is the sign for thee. And because I will send thee, therefore when thou hast brought my people out of Egypt you shall worship God on this mountain. 13 Then Moses said to God, Behold when I come to the Israel

ites and say to them, The God of our fathers hath sent me to you; and they shall say, What is his name? What shall I 14 say to them? On which God spoke to Moses saying, I am The

I Am. Moreover he said, Thus shalt thou say to the children 15 of Israel, The I Am hath sent me to you. Again God said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, The Lord, the God of our fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaak, and the God of Jacob hath sent me to you. This is my 16 everlasting name and memorial to all generations. Go therefore and assemble the Senate of the children of Israel and say

to them, The Lord, the God of our fathers hath appeared to me, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaak, and the God of Jacob saying, With watchfulness I have observed you 17 and all that hath befallen you in Egypt. Moreover he said, I will bring you up from the oppression of the Egyptians to the land of the Chananites and the Chettites and the Amorites and the Pherezites, and the Gergasites and the Evites and the Jebusites to a land flowing with milk and honey, and they will 18 hearken to thy voice, and thou and the Senate of Israel shall go to Pharao king of Egypt, and thou shalt say to him, The God of the Hebrews hath called us; let us therefore go three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to our 19 God. But I know that Pharao king of Egypt will not suffer 20 you to go, but by a strong hand. Therefore I will stretch forth

my hand and smite the Egyptians with all my wonders which I will do among them. And after these he will dismiss you. 21 And I will give the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians,

so that when you go, you shall not go away empty; but every 22 woman shall ask of her neighbour and of him who sojourneth in her house vessels of silver and of gold, and raiment which you shall put on your sons and your daughters and you shall

IV.

spoil the Egyptians. Then Moses answered and said, If they will not believe and hearken to my voice-for they may say, God hath not appeared to thee: What shall I say to them? 2 And the Lord said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he 3 said a staff. Then he said, Cast it on the ground. So he cast it

on the ground and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from 4 it. Then the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth thy hand and

take it by the tail. So he stretched forth his hand and caught it 5 by the tail; and it was in his hand a staff. That they may be

lieve thee that the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaak, and the God of Jacob hath appeared to thee, 6 said the Lord again, Put thy hand in thy bosom. So he put his hand in his bosom; and when he drew his hand out of his bo7 som, his hand was like snow. Then the Lord said to him again, Put thy hand in thy bosom. So he put his hand in his bosom, and when he drew it out of his bosom, it was again restored 8 to the colour of its flesh. Now if they will not believe thee nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, they will be

9 lieve thee at the voice of the second sign. But if they will not believe thee for these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, thou shalt take some of the water of the river and pour it out on the dry ground; and the water which thou shalt take 10 from the river shall be blood on the ground. Then Moses said to the Lord, O Lord, I am not sufficiently qualified, neither heretofore nor since thou hast begun to speak to thy servant. I have a stammering voice and a faltering tongue. 11 Upon which the Lord said to Moses, Who gave man a

mouth? and who made the hard of hearing and the deaf12 him who seeth and the blind? Was it not I who am God? Now

therefore go and I will open thy mouth and teach thee what 13 thou shalt say. Then Moses said, O Lord, provide another 14 capable person whom thou wilt send. Whereupon the anger of

the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, Lo! is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well for thee. And lo! he will come out to meet thee, and when 15 he shall see thee he will be rejoiced. Thou therefore shalt speak to him and commit my words to his mouth. And I will open thy mouth and his mouth and teach you what you shall 16 do. He shall speak to the people for thee and he shall be thy 17 mouth and thou shalt be to him as the Oracle of God. And this staff which was turned into a serpent thou shalt take in thy hand. With it thou shalt perform miracles.

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Then Moses went and returned to Jothor his father in law and said, I must go and return to my brethren who are in 19 Egypt and see if they be still living. And Jothor said to Moses, Go in peace. So after many years, when the king of Egypt was dead, and the Lord said to Moses in Madiam, Go return 20 to Egypt, for all who sought thy life are dead; Moses took

his wife and children and mounted them on asses to return to Egypt. And he took in his hand the staff which he had 21 from God. And the Lord said to Moses, Thou art on thy way and returning to Egypt. See that thou do in the sight of Pharao all the miracles which I put in thy hands. And I will make his heart stubborn, so that he will not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say to Pharao, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is 23 my first born son, and I have said to thee, Send away this my people that they may serve me; if therefore thou wilt not dismiss them behold I will slay thy son-thy first born.

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