Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.

The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?"

The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."

When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.

His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her handmaid to get it.

Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child's mother.

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." The woman took the child, and nursed it.

The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."

She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."

The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

He said, "Do not come close. Take your sandals off of your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground."

Moreover he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.

The LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?"

Moses answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'"

Moses said to the LORD, "Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

The LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."

The LORD said to Moses, "When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

You shall tell Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, Israel is my son, my firstborn,

Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'"

Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should listen to his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go."

Pharaoh said, "Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens."

The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,

"You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick, as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.

The number of the bricks, which they made before, you require from them. You shall not diminish anything of it, for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'

The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, This is what Pharaoh says: "I will not give you straw.

Go yourselves, get straw where you can find it, for nothing of your work shall be diminished."

So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.

The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"

Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?

Go therefore now, and work, for no straw shall be given to you, yet you shall deliver the same number of bricks."

They met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh:

and they said to them, "May the LORD look at you, and judge, because you have made us a stench to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."

The LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land."

and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'"

Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

"Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land."

Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "Behold, the children of Israel haven't listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?"

The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.

that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I am the LORD. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you."

Moses said before the LORD, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?"

The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.

I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.

But Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt, and bring forth my armies, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

"When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Perform a miracle.' then you shall tell Aaron, 'Take your rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent.'"

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts.

For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as the LORD had spoken.

The LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go.

Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.

Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

The magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as the LORD had spoken.

Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to heart.

All the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they couldn't drink of the water of the river.

The LORD spoke to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, "This is what the LORD says, 'Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat the LORD, that he take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD."

Moses said to Pharaoh, "I give you the honor of setting the time that I should pray for you, and for your servants, and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, and remain in the river only."

Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD concerning the frogs which he had brought on Pharaoh.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken.

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God:" and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them; as the LORD had spoken.

The LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; behold, he comes forth to the water; and tell him, 'This is what the LORD says, "Let my people go, that they may serve me.

The LORD did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses: and in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies.

Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land."

Moses said, "It isn't appropriate to do so; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. Behold, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and won't they stone us?

Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away. Pray for me."

Moses said, "Behold, I go out from you, and I will pray to the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."

Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.

The LORD did according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. There remained not one.

Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.

For if you refuse to let them go, and hold them still,

Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of the livestock of Israel dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and he did not let the people go.

The LORD said to Moses and to Aaron, "Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh.

They took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward the sky; and it became a boil breaking forth with boils on man and on animal.

The magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils were on the magicians, and on all the Egyptians.

The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

The LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, that they may serve me.

For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, against your officials, and against your people; that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.

For now I would have put forth my hand, and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth;

but indeed for this cause I have made you stand: to show you my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth;

Those who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made their servants and their livestock flee into the houses.

Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

Pray to the LORD; for there has been enough of mighty thunderings and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God."

The flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.

But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late.

Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands to the LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.

When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.