1 En Moses het die kleinvee opgepas van sy skoonvader Jetro, die priester van M¡dian. En toe hy die kleinvee agter die woestyn gedryf het, kom hy by die berg van God, by Horeb.

2 Daarop verskyn die Engel van die HERE aan hom in 'n vuurvlam uit 'n doringbos. En toe hy weer sien, brand die doringbos in die vuur, maar die doringbos word nie verteer nie!

3 En Moses sê: Laat ek tog nader gaan en hierdie groot verskynsel bekyk, waarom die doringbos nie verbrand nie.

4 Toe die HERE sien dat hy nuuskierig nader kom, roep God na hom uit die doringbos en sê: Moses, Moses! En hy antwoord: Hier is ek.

5 En Hy sê: Moenie nader kom nie. Trek jou skoene van jou voete af, want die plek waar jy op staan, is heilige grond.

6 Verder sê Hy: Ek is die God van jou vader, die God van Abraham, die God van Isak en die God van Jakob. Toe het Moses sy aangesig verberg, want hy was bevrees om God aan te sien.

7 En die HERE sê: Ek het duidelik gesien die ellende van my volk wat in Egipte is; en Ek het hulle jammerklagte oor hulle drywers gehoor, ja, Ek ken hulle smarte.

8 Daarom het Ek neergedaal om hulle uit die hand van die Egiptenaars te verlos en hulle te laat optrek uit daardie land na 'n goeie en wye land, na 'n land wat oorloop van melk en heuning, na die woonplek van die Kana„niete en Hetiete en Amoriete en Feresiete en Hewiete en Jebusiete.

9 En nou, kyk, die jammerklagte van die kinders van Israel het tot by My gekom. Ook het Ek die verdrukking gesien waarmee die Egiptenaars hulle verdruk.

10 Gaan dan nou heen, dat Ek jou na Farao kan stuur; en lei my volk, die kinders van Israel, uit Egipte uit.

11 Maar Moses het tot God gespreek: Wie is ek, dat ek na Farao sou gaan en dat ek die kinders van Israel uit Egipte sou lei?

12 En Hy antwoord: Ek sal met jou wees, en dit sal vir jou 'n teken wees dat Ek jou gestuur het: As jy die volk uit Egipte gelei het, sal julle op hierdie berg God dien.

13 Hierop het Moses tot God gespreek: Maar as ek by die kinders van Israel kom en aan hulle sê: Die God van julle vaders het my na julle gestuur, en hulle my vra: Hoe is sy naam? -- wat moet ek hulle antwoord?

14 En God sê vir Moses: EK IS WAT EK IS. Ook sê Hy: So moet jy die kinders van Israel antwoord: EK IS het my na julle gestuur.

15 Toe sê God verder vir Moses: Dit moet jy aan die kinders van Israel meedeel: Die HERE, die God van julle vaders, die God van Abraham, die God van Isak en die God van Jakob, het my na julle gestuur. Dit is my Naam vir ewig, en dit is my gedenknaam van geslag tot geslag.

16 Gaan heen en versamel die oudstes van Israel en sê vir hulle: Die HERE, die God van julle vaders, het aan my verskyn, die God van Abraham, Isak en Jakob, en het gesê: Ek het terdeë ag gegee op julle en op wat julle in Egipte aangedoen is.

17 Daarom het Ek besluit: Ek wil julle uit die ellende van Egipte laat optrek na die land van die Kana„niete en Hetiete en Amoriete en Feresiete en Hewiete en Jebusiete, na 'n land wat oorloop van melk en heuning.

18 En hulle sal na jou luister. Dan moet jy met die oudstes van Israel na die koning van Egipte gaan, en julle moet vir hom sê: Die HERE, die God van die Hebreërs, het ons ontmoet; laat ons dan nou tog drie dagreise ver die woestyn intrek en aan die HERE, onse God, offer.

19 Maar Ek weet dat die koning van Egipte julle nie sal laat gaan nie, ook nie deur 'n sterke hand nie.

20 En Ek sal my hand uitstrek en Egipte met al my wonders teister wat Ek daarin sal doen; en daarna sal hy julle laat trek.

21 En Ek sal aan hierdie volk guns verleen in die oë van die Egiptenaars; en as julle dan trek, moet julle nie met leë hande trek nie,

22 maar elke vrou moet van haar buurvrou en van haar wat in haar huis vertoef, silwer-- en goue voorwerpe en klere eis. En julle moet dit op julle seuns en dogters sit, en so Egipte berowe.

1 Now Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he took the flock to the back of the waste land and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2 And the angel of the Lord was seen by him in a flame of fire coming out of a thorn-tree: and he saw that the tree was on fire, but it was not burned up.

3 And Moses said, I will go and see this strange thing, why the tree is not burned up,

4 And when the Lord saw him turning to one side to see, God said his name out of the tree, crying, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5 And he said, Do not come near: take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is holy.

6 And he said, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses kept his face covered for fear of looking on God.

7 And God said, Truly, I have seen the grief of my people in Egypt, and their cry because of their cruel masters has come to my ears; for I have knowledge of their sorrows;

8 And I have come down to take them out of the hands of the Egyptians, guiding them out of that land into a good land and wide, into a land flowing with milk and honey; into the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

9 For now, truly, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the cruel behaviour of the Egyptians to them.

10 Come, then, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may take my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

11 And Moses said to God, Who am I to go to Pharaoh and take the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Truly I will be with you; and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: when you have taken the children of Israel out of Egypt, you will give worship to God on this mountain.

13 And Moses said to God, When I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you: and they say to me, What is his name? what am I to say to them?

14 And God said to him, I AM WHAT I AM: and he said, Say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.

15 And God went on to say to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and this is my sign to all generations.

16 Go and get together the chiefs of the children of Israel, and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has been seen by me, and has said, Truly I have taken up your cause, because of what is done to you in Egypt;

17 And I have said, I will take you up out of the sorrows of Egypt into the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, into a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they will give ear to your voice: and you, with the chiefs of Israel, will go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God.

19 And I am certain that the king of Egypt will not let you go without being forced.

20 But I will put out my hand and overcome Egypt with all the wonders which I will do among them: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people grace in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that when you go out you will go out with your hands full.

22 For every woman will get from her neighbour and from the woman living in her house, ornaments of silver and gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and your daughters; you will take the best of their goods from the Egyptians.