Come, let's deal wisely with them. Otherwise they will continue to multiply, and if a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with our enemies and fight against us and leave the country."

But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live.

Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live."

Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.

"The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.'

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force.

So Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, "Let me go, so that I may return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still alive." Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

The Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. But I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

and I said to you, 'Let my son go that he may serve me,' but since you have refused to let him go, I will surely kill your son, your firstborn!"'"

So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said, "A bridegroom of blood," referring to the circumcision.)

And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go a three-day journey into the desert so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword."

"You must no longer give straw to the people for making bricks as before. Let them go and collect straw for themselves.

But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. That is why they are crying, 'Let us go sacrifice to our God.'

But Pharaoh replied, "You are slackers! Slackers! That is why you are saying, 'Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.'

Moses said, "I am going to go out from you and pray to the Lord, and the swarms of flies will go away from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only do not let Pharaoh deal falsely again by not releasing the people to sacrifice to the Lord."

No one could see another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

When Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them by the way to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God said, "Lest the people change their minds and return to Egypt when they experience war."

Now the Lord was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel day or night.

It came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp; it was a dark cloud and it lit up the night so that one camp did not come near the other the whole night.

He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving, and the Egyptians said, "Let's flee from Israel, for the Lord fights for them against Egypt!"

But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

By your loyal love you will lead the people whom you have redeemed; you will guide them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.

Then Moses led Israel to journey away from the Red Sea. They went out to the Desert of Shur, walked for three days into the desert, and found no water.

See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day."

On the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud horn; all the people who were in the camp trembled.

Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through against them."

The Lord said to him, "Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them."

They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die."

If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully with her.

"If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.

If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges to see whether he has laid his hand on his neighbor's goods.

then there will be an oath to the Lord between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor's goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay.

If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, but be sure to help him with it.

But in the seventh year you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the field may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.

"Pay attention to do everything I have told you, and do not even mention the names of other gods -- do not let them be heard on your lips.

oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense,

Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them.

"You are to make an atonement lid of pure gold; its length is to be three feet nine inches, and its width is to be two feet three inches.

You are to make two cherubim of gold; you are to make them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid.

Make one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end; from the atonement lid you are to make the cherubim on the two ends.

The cherubim are to be spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings, and the cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the atonement lid.

You are to put the atonement lid on top of the ark, and in the ark you are to put the testimony I am giving you.

I will meet with you there, and from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.

"You are to make its seven lamps, and then set its lamps up on it, so that it will give light to the area in front of it.

You are to put the atonement lid on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place.

"You are to command the Israelites that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, so that the lamps will burn regularly.

"You are to put it in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the testimony (before the atonement lid that is over the testimony), where I will meet you.

the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent,

Why should the Egyptians say, 'For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.

Aaron said, "Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil.

Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies.

So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin."

Moses said to the Lord, "See, you have been saying to me, 'Bring this people up,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, 'I know you by name, and also you have found favor in my sight.'

No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain."

and said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, let my Lord go among us, for we are a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance."

Take an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart bring an offering to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze,

olive oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

the ark, with its poles, the atonement lid, and the special curtain that conceals it;

the lampstand for the light and its accessories, its lamps, and oil for the light;

and spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.

Moses instructed them to take his message throughout the camp, saying, "Let no man or woman do any more work for the offering for the sanctuary." So the people were restrained from bringing any more.

He made an atonement lid of pure gold; its length was three feet nine inches, and its width was two feet three inches.

He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered metal on the two ends of the atonement lid,

one cherub on one end and one cherub on the other end. He made the cherubim from the atonement lid on its two ends.

The cherubim were spreading their wings upward, overshadowing the atonement lid with their wings. The cherubim faced each other, looking toward the atonement lid.

the ark of the testimony and its poles, and the atonement lid;

the pure lampstand, its lamps, with the lamps set in order, and all its accessories, and oil for the light;

He took the testimony and put it in the ark, attached the poles to the ark, and then put the atonement lid on the ark.