Xuất Ai Cập Ký 6

God promises to bring Israel out

¹The LORD answered Moses, “Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh. Compelled by a strong hand, he will release them; compelled by a strong hand, he will drive them from his land.”^a

²God spoke to Moses and told him, “I am the LORD. ³I showed myself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not make myself known to them by my name, the LORD.^{bc 4}I also confirmed my covenant with them, that I would give them the land of Canaan, the land where they stayed as foreigners. ⁵I myself have now heard the Israelites groaning under the slavery the Egyptians force on them, and I have kept my covenant in mind. ⁶So tell the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD. I will lead you out from under the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from serving them as slaves. I will redeem you with my arm stretched out and with great acts of judgment. ⁷I will claim you as a people for me, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the LORD your God, the one who brings you out from under the forced labor of Egypt. ⁸I will bring you into the land that I promised with an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you to hold as your own. I am the LORD.’” ⁹Moses passed this on to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him. Their spirits were worn down and their slavery was cruel.

Moses sent again to Pharaoh

¹⁰Then the LORD said to Moses, ¹¹“Go in to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and tell him to release the Israelites from his country.” ¹²But Moses answered the LORD, “Even the Israelites have not listened to me. How can I expect Pharaoh to listen, when I speak so poorly?”

¹³The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt: they were to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

The family lines of Moses and Aaron

¹⁴Here are the heads of the family lines. Reuben was Israel’s firstborn; his sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These were the Reubenite clans. ¹⁵The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite. These were the Simeonite clans. ¹⁶These are the names of Levi’s sons, by their family lines: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. ¹⁷Gershon’s sons were Libni and Shimei, each with his clan. ¹⁸Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.^{d 19}Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, listed by their family lines. ²⁰Amram took as his wife Jochebed, the sister of his father, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The length of Amram’s life was 137 years.^{ef 21}Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zikri. ²²Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. ²³Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴Korah’s sons were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans. ²⁵Eleazar son of Aaron married one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan. ²⁶This Aaron and this Moses are the ones the LORD told, “Lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company.” ²⁷It was they who went before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and spoke to him so that the Israelites might be brought out of Egypt: this Moses and this Aaron. ²⁸Now on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

²⁹the LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD. Repeat to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, every word I speak to you.” ³⁰But Moses replied in the presence of the LORD, “I am such a poor speaker. How will Pharaoh ever listen to me?”