How God Made the Slaves Free

H. and A. Bradshaw

A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.

About Exodus

Chapter 1

v1 The sons of *Israel went to Egypt with Jacob. Each one went with his family. Here are their names:

v2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, v3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin, v4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Joseph was already in Egypt. v5 There were 70 people in Jacob?s family.

v6 After some time, Joseph died and his brothers also died. All the people who had lived during Joseph?s life died. v7 But the *Israelites had lots of children and they grew into a very large family. There were so many of them that they filled the country.

v8 After some more time had passed, a new king began to rule in Egypt. He did not know anything about Joseph. v9 He said to his people, ?Look! The *Israelites have become too many for us. v10 We must be very careful. If we do nothing, even more of them will be born. Then, if there is a war they will join our enemies. The enemies and the *Israelites will fight against us and then the *Israelites will leave the country.?

v11 So the *Egyptians made the *Israelites work as slaves. Their masters made life difficult for the *Israelites. They made the *Israelites work for *Pharaoh, to build cities. The names of the cities were Pithom and Rameses. They were cities in which the *Egyptians stored food.

v12 The *Egyptians made life more difficult for the *Israelites but the *Israelites became more in number. They had many children and they lived in every part of the country. Because of this, the *Egyptians began to be afraid of them. v13 So the *Egyptians made the *Israelites work without any rest. v14 The *Egyptians made the lives of the *Israelites very sad because of their work. The *Israelites worked with *bricks and *mortar. They also did many different jobs in the fields. The *Egyptians were cruel. They made the *Israelites do all this difficult work.

v15 There were two *Israelite women who helped the other *Israelite women at the birth of their children. These two women were called Shiphrah and Puah. The King of Egypt spoke to them. He said: v16 ?When you help the *Israelite women at the birth of their children, do this:

If they have a baby boy, kill him.

If they have a baby girl, let her live.?

v17 But the two women did not obey the king of Egypt. They obeyed God and they let the boys live. v18 Then the King of Egypt caused the two women to come to him. He asked them: ?Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?? v19 The two women answered Pharaoh. They said, ?*Israelite women are not like *Egyptian women. *Israelite women are very strong. Their babies are born very quickly, before we arrive at the house.?

v20 Because of this, God was kind to the two women. The people grew in number and they became very strong. v21 Because the two women obeyed God, he gave them families of their own.

v22 Then Pharaoh spoke to his people. He said: ?When an *Israelite boy is born, you must throw him in the river. But you can let the baby girls live.?

Chapter 2

The birth of Moses

v1 At this time, there was an *Israelite man who belonged to the big family of Levi. He married a woman who also belonged to that big family. v2 A baby boy was born. His mother saw that he was a very beautiful baby. So she hid him for three months. v3 Then the woman could not continue to hide him. So she took a basket that someone had made from dry river grass. She painted the basket with sticky black paint, to keep the water out of it. The mother put her baby in the basket. Then she put the basket on the edge of the river, among the river grasses.

v4 The baby?s sister stood not very far away. She wanted to see what would happen to the baby.

v5 Now the daughter of *Pharaoh came to wash in the river. And her servant girls walked by the edge of the river. Then *Pharaoh?s daughter saw the basket among the river grasses. So she sent one of her servant girls to fetch it. v6 When *Pharaoh?s daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby. He was crying and she was sorry for him. She said: ?This is one of the *Israelite children.? v7 Then the baby?s sister spoke to *Pharaoh?s daughter. She said, ?Do you want me to fetch one of the *Israelite women? She can *nurse this baby for you.?

v8 *Pharaoh?s daughter said: ?Yes, do that.? So the girl went and she called the baby?s mother. v9 *Pharaoh?s daughter spoke to the baby?s mother. She said: ?Take this baby away and *nurse him for me. I will pay you to do this.? So the woman took the baby and she *nursed him. v10 When the baby was older, his mother brought him to *Pharaoh?s daughter. He became her son and she called him Moses. She said: ?I will call him Moses because I pulled him out of the water.?

Moses runs away to Midian

v11 Many years later, Moses grew to be a man. At that time, he went out to look at the *Israelites. He knew that he was an *Israelite too. He saw them as they worked without any rest. Then he saw an *Egyptian who was hitting an *Israelite. Yes, the *Egyptian was hitting someone from Moses? own country! v12 Moses looked in every direction. He saw nobody near. Then Moses killed the *Egyptian and he hid his dead body in the sand. v13 Moses went out again the next day and he saw two *Israelites. They were fighting together. Moses spoke to the man who was hurting the other man. He said to him: ?Why are you hitting your friend??

v14 The man answered: ?You should not be a ruler and a *judge over us. Perhaps you are going to kill me, as you killed the *Egyptian.? Then Moses was afraid. He said to himself: ?People know what I have done!? v15 Then someone told *Pharaoh about it. *Pharaoh tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from *Pharaoh. He went to the country called Midian and he stayed there. Moses sat down by a well in the country called Midian.

v16 Now the *priest of Midian had 7 daughters. These 7 girls came to get water out of the well. They filled the long stone dishes with water so that their father?s animals could drink. v17 But the *shepherds who lived in that place arrived. They made the girls go away. So Moses stood up and he helped the 7 girls. He gave water to their animals.

v18 When the girls came to Reuel, their father, he asked them a question. He said: ?Why have you come home so soon today??

v19 They answered: ?An *Egyptian saved us from the *shepherds. He also took water out of the well and he gave it to the animals.? v20 Reuel said to his daughters, ?Where is the man? You should not have left him there. Ask him to come here so that he can eat bread with us.? v21 Moses was happy to stay with Reuel. Reuel gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses as his wife. v22 After several months, Zipporah gave birth to a baby boy. Moses called the boy Gershom. He called him that because he said: ?I have been a stranger in a foreign country.?

v23 After a long time had passed, the king of Egypt died. The *Israelites were very sad because they were slaves. They shouted aloud for help from God. v24 God heard them crying because they were slaves. He remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. v25 So God looked at the *Israelites. He knew that they needed his help.

Chapter 3

Moses and the burning bush

v1 Moses fed the animals of Jethro the *priest of Midian and he kept them safely. Jethro was his wife?s father (the same person as Reuel). Moses led the animals to the far side of the *desert. He came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

v2 There the *angel of the *Lord showed himself to Moses. The *angel looked like a fire that was burning in the middle of a bush. Moses looked at the bush and he saw that it was on fire. The bush was burning but the fire still did not destroy it. v3 Moses said to himself: ?I will go and see this strange thing. I want to see why the bush is not burned.?

v4 Then the *Lord saw that Moses came to see the bush. And God called to Moses from inside the bush: ?Moses! Moses!? Moses answered: ?Here I am.?

v5 God said to Moses: ?Do not come near this place. Remove your shoes from your feet. The place where you stand is *holy ground.? v6 Then God said: ?I am the God of your fathers. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.? Then Moses hid his face. He was afraid to look at God.

v7 Then the *Lord said: ?I have certainly seen the troubles of my people in Egypt. I have heard that they cry because of their slave masters. I know how sad they are. v8 So I have come down to save them from the *Egyptians. I will bring them from Egypt to another country. It will be a good country and a wide country. There will be a lot of good food and drink, enough for everyone. It is the place where all these *nations live now: the *Canaanites, the *Hittites, the *Amorites, the *Perizzites, the *Hivites and the *Jebusites. v9 And now I have heard *Israel?s people cry. I have seen how the *Egyptians do bad things to them. v10 Now go! I will send you to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the *Israelites, out of Egypt.?

v11 But Moses said to God: ?I am not an important person. I cannot go to Pharaoh. I cannot lead the *Israelites out of Egypt!?

v12 God said to Moses: ?I will be with you. After you have led the people out of Egypt you will *worship me on this mountain. That will show people that I have sent you.?

v13 Then Moses answered God. He said: ?If I go to the *Israelites, they will ask me a question. I shall say: ?The God of your fathers has sent me to you.? But then they will ask me, ?What is God?s name?? What then shall I say to them??

v14 God said to Moses: ?I am who I am! Say to the *Israelites: ?I AM has sent me to you.? ?

v15 God also said to Moses: ?Say this to the *Israelites: ?This is the God who has sent me to you. He is the *Lord, the God of your fathers. He is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac and Jacob.? This is my name for all time. People will always remember me by this name.

v16 Go and bring together the leaders of *Israel. Say to them, ?God has shown himself to me. He is the *Lord and the God of your fathers. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God said to me: ?I have watched you *Israelites in Egypt. I have seen what the *Egyptians have done to you. v17 I have promised that I will bring you out of your difficult life in Egypt. I will bring you into the country of the *Canaanites, the *Hittites, the *Amorites, the *Perizzites, the *Hivites and the *Jebusites. It is a country with more than enough good food and drink.? ?

v18 The leaders of the*Israelites will listen to you. Then you must go with them to the king of Egypt. Say to him: ?The *Lord, the God of the *Israelites has met with us. Please let us go on a journey of three days, into the *desert. We must *worship the *Lord our God there.? v19 I know that the king of Egypt will not want to let you go. He will only let you go if someone more powerful than himself causes him to obey.

v20 So I will show him my powerful authority. I will cause very strange and bad things to happen to Egypt. I will do great and powerful things to that country. After that, Pharaoh will let you go.

v21 And I will cause the *Egyptians to think good things about the *Israelites. So when you go, they will give you many gifts. v22 Each *Israelite woman must ask for gifts from the *Egyptian women. They must ask the *Egyptian women who live near them. They must also ask those who live with them in their houses. They must ask for *silver things and gold things. They must also ask for expensive clothes. You must dress your sons and your daughters in these clothes. In this way, you will take everything valuable away from the *Egyptians.?

Chapter 4

God shows Moses some strange things

v1 Then Moses answered: ?But perhaps the leaders of Israel will not believe me. Perhaps they will not listen to my voice. Perhaps they will say: ?The *Lord did not show himself to you.? ?

v2 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?What is that thing in your hand?? Moses answered: ?It is a stick.?

v3 The *Lord said: ?Throw it on the ground.? So Moses threw it on the ground. Then the stick became a snake and Moses ran from the snake! v4 But the *Lord said to Moses: ?Put out your hand and catch the snake by the tail.? So Moses put out his hand and he caught the snake. Then it became a stick in his hand again. v5 God said, ?Do this, and they will believe you. They will believe that the *Lord has shown himself to you. It is the *Lord, who is the God of their fathers. It is the *Lord, who is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.?

v6 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Put your hand inside your clothes, near to your heart.? So Moses did this. When he took his hand out again, it had become as white as snow. It was like the hand of a man who had the illness called *leprosy.

v7 Then God said: ?Put your hand back inside your clothes, near to your heart.? So Moses did that. And when he took his hand out, it was well again. It was the same as the other parts of his body.

v8 God said, ?They may not believe you. They may not think that the first *sign is important. But they may still believe the second *sign. v9 But if they will not believe the two *signs, you can do something else. If they do not listen to you, then take some water from the River Nile. Pour it on the dry ground. The water that you take from the river will become blood on the ground.?

v10 But Moses said to the *Lord: ?Oh Master, I cannot speak well. I could not speak well before. And I cannot speak well now, since you have spoken to me. I speak slowly and I speak with difficulty.?

v11 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Who has made human mouths? Who makes a person that cannot speak? Who makes a person that cannot hear? Who makes a person that cannot see? Who makes a person that can see? It is I, the *Lord, who does all these things. v12 Now go! I will help you to speak. I will teach you what to say.?

v13 But Moses said, ?Oh Master, please send some other person.?

v14 Then the *Lord became angry with Moses. He said: ?Aaron, the *Levite, is your brother. I know that he can speak well. And he is coming to meet you. When Aaron sees you he will be very happy. v15 Then you must speak to him. You must tell him what to say. I will help both of you to speak. And I will teach you what you must do. v16 Aaron will speak to the people for you. You will be like God to him. You will tell Aaron what to say. v17 Take this stick with you. You will use this stick to do the *signs.?

Moses returns to Egypt

v18 Then Moses went back to Jethro, his wife?s father. Moses said to Jethro: ?Please let me return to my family in Egypt. I must see if they are still alive.? So Jethro said to Moses: ?Go in peace.?

v19 The *Lord had said to Moses while he was still in Midian: ?Go back to Egypt. All the men who tried to kill you are now dead.? v20 So Moses put his wife and his sons on a *donkey and they started on the journey back to Egypt. And Moses carried the stick of God in his hand.

v21 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?When you return to Egypt you must do the *signs. Do all the *signs that I gave you the power to do. Do them in front of Pharaoh. But I will make Pharaoh angry and cruel. Because of this, he will not let the people go.

v22 Then you must speak to Pharaoh. You must say: ?The *Lord says, ?*Israel is my first son. v23 I have already said to you: ?Let my son go so that he can *worship me.? But if you refuse to let him go, I will kill your first son.? ? ?

v24 On the way to Egypt, there was a house where people can rest on their journey. God met Moses there and God was going to kill him. v25 But Zipporah took a sharp stone and she cut off her son?s *foreskin with the stone. Then Zipporah threw the *foreskin at Moses? feet. She said: ?You are a husband of blood to me.? v26 So God did not do anything bad to Moses. Then Zipporah said to Moses: ?You are a husband of blood, because of this *circumcision.?

v27 The *Lord said to Aaron: ?Go into the *desert to meet Moses.? So Aaron went. He met Moses at the mountain of God and he kissed him. v28 Then Moses told Aaron all that the *Lord had told him to say. He also told Aaron about all the special *signs. God had *commanded Moses to show these signs to the *Israelites and to Pharaoh.

v29 Then Moses and Aaron went to Egypt. They brought together all the leaders of the *Israelites. v30 Aaron told them all the things that God had said to Moses. Then Moses did the *signs in front of the people. v31 And the people believed Aaron and Moses. They put their heads down and they *worshipped God. They had heard that God had come to his people. God had seen their hard life and he was sorry for them. That is why they *worshipped God.

Chapter 5

Moses and Aaron speak to Pharaoh

v1 After this, Moses and Aaron went to visit Pharaoh. They said to him: ?Listen to what the *Lord says. He is the God of *Israel. He says, ?Let my people go. Let them prepare a party for me in the *desert.? ?

v2 But Pharaoh said: ?I do not know the *Lord. I do not know why I should obey his voice. I do not know why I should let the *Israelites go. I do not know the *Lord. Neither will I let the *Israelites go.?

v3 Moses and Aaron said: ?The God of the *Israelites has met us. Please let us go. We must go on a journey of three days into the *desert. There we must give gifts to the *Lord our God. If we do not do this, God may attack us with illness. Or he may use soldiers to attack us.?

v4 But the king of Egypt said: ?Moses and Aaron, you must not take the people away from their work! Go back to your jobs!? v5 And Pharaoh said: ?Look, there are now many people in the country. But you stop them doing their work.?

v6 On that day, Pharaoh gave a *command to the masters of the slaves. He also gave the *command to the leaders of the work. v7 This was the *command: ?Do not give the people any more *straw with which to make *bricks. They must find their own *straw. v8 But they must still make the same number of *bricks as before. Do not let the amount become smaller. They are lazy. That is why they ask to go. They say: ?Let us go to give gifts to our God.? v9 So you must cause them to work harder. They will then be too busy to listen to false words.?

v10 So the slaves? masters and the leaders of the work went to the people. They said to them: ?Pharaoh says: ?I will not give you *straw. v11 You must find your own *straw, where you can. But you will still have to make the same number of *bricks.? ? v12 So the people went everywhere in the land of Egypt, to get *straw from the fields. v13 The slaves? masters made the *Israelites work fast. They said: ?Finish your work for each day, as when you had *straw.? v14 Pharaoh?s slave masters hit the leaders who had authority over the people. They said to them: ?Why have you not made as many *bricks today, as you did before??

v15 Then the *Israelite leaders went to Pharaoh. They asked him: ?Why do you do these things to us, your servants? v16 Our masters do not give us any *straw. But they say ?Make *bricks!? Then they hit us. But it is your people that are doing wrong things.?

v17 But Pharaoh said: ?You are lazy! You are only lazy! That is why you say: ?Let us go. Let us take gifts to the *Lord.? v18 Now go and do your work. Nobody will give you any *straw. But you must make the same number of *bricks.?

v19 The *Israelite leaders heard Pharaoh say: ?You must make the same number of *bricks as you made before.? Then they knew that they were in bad trouble. v20 Then the *Israelite leaders met with Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were waiting for them to return from Pharaoh. v21 And the leaders spoke to Moses and Aaron. They said: ?We hope that the *Lord will look at you. We hope that the Lord will *judge you! You have made us like a bad smell to Pharaoh and to his servants. You have given them a reason to kill us.?

v22 Then Moses returned to the *Lord. He said: ?Oh Master, why have you done bad things to this people? Why did you send me to them? v23 I came to speak in your name. But since I spoke to Pharaoh, he has done only bad things to the people. And you have done nothing to save your people.?

Chapter 6

God promises to save the *Israelites

v1 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ?Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my powerful *signs, he will let my people go. Because of my powerful *signs, he will *command them to leave his country.?

v2 And God said to Moses: ?I am the *Lord. v3 I showed myself to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as God *Almighty. But I did not let them know me by my name, the *Lord. v4 I also made my special promise to them. I promised to give them the country of Canaan. I promised to give them the country where they had lived as foreign people. v5 And I have heard the *Israelites when they cry. They cry because the *Egyptians cause them to live as slaves. I have remembered my special promise. v6 So you must say this to the *Israelites. ?I am the *Lord. I will remove you from the authority of the *Egyptians. You will not be their slaves again. I will bring you back to myself by my powerful authority. I will *judge the *Egyptians by the great things that I will do. v7 I will make you my own people and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the *Lord. I am your God who saved you from the authority of the *Egyptians. v8 And I will bring you to another country. I made a very serious promise to give that other country to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you and it will be your own country. I am the *Lord.? ?

v9 Moses reported these words to the *Israelites. But they did not listen to him, because their *Egyptian masters were so cruel to them. They refused to hope for good things. Their *Egyptian masters had broken their *spirits and made them very sad.

v10 Then the *Lord said to Moses: v11 ?Go and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him that he must let the *Israelites go out of his country.? v12 But Moses said to the *Lord: ?Look! Even the *Israelites have not listened to me. So why should Pharaoh listen to me? My lips are unable to speak good words from God.?

v13 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the *Israelites and about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He *commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the *Israelites out of the country called Egypt.

The *Ancestors of Moses and Aaron

v14 These were the leaders of the whole families:

The sons of Reuben, *Israel?s oldest son: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were Reuben?s families.

v15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a *Canaanite woman. These were Simeon?s families.

v16 These are the names of the sons of Levi from the oldest to the youngest: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived for 137 years.

v17 The sons of Gershon and their families: Libni and Shimei.

v18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived for 133 years.

v19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.

These were the families of Levi from the oldest to the youngest.

v20 Amram married Jochebed, his father?s sister. Aaron and Moses were their sons. Amram lived for 137 years.

v21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg and Sithri.

v22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

v23 Aaron married Elisheba. She was the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba?s children were: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

v24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the families of people from Korah.

v25 Eleazar, Aaron?s son, married one of Putiel?s daughters. Phinehas was their son.

These were the leaders of the families of the *Levites.

v26 This Aaron and Moses are the same men to whom the *Lord spoke. He said: ?Lead the *Israelites out of the country of Egypt. Lead them out as an army of people.? v27 Yes, it was the same Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They told him that the *Israelites would leave Egypt.

Aaron will speak for Moses

v28 When the *Lord spoke to Moses in the country of Egypt, v29 he said, ?I am the *Lord. Tell Pharaoh, King of Egypt, everything that I tell you.? v30 Then Moses said: ?Look, my lips are unable to speak good words from God. Why should Pharaoh listen to me??

Chapter 7

v1 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Look, I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be your *prophet. v2 You must say everything that I *command you. Your brother Aaron must *command Pharaoh to let the *Israelites go. Pharaoh must let them go out of his country.?

v3 ?But I will make Pharaoh angry and cruel. He will refuse to listen to you. I will do even more great *signs and strange things in the country called Egypt. v4 But Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. Then I will show my authority to Egypt. And I will remove my army, my people the *Israelites, out of the country called Egypt. I will lead them out with powerful authority. v5 Then the *Egyptians will know that I am the *Lord. They will know this when I *judge Egypt. They will know it when I lead the *Israelites out of Egypt.?

Moses? stick becomes a snake

v6 So Moses and Aaron obeyed all the *commands of the *Lord. v7 Now Moses was 80 years old when he spoke to Pharaoh. And Aaron was 83 years old.

v8 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said:

v9 ?Pharaoh will say: ?Show me one of your special *signs.? Then you must say to Aaron: ?Take your stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh. It will become a snake.? ?

v10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did everything that the *Lord had *commanded them. Aaron threw down his stick in front of Pharaoh and his servants. And the stick became a snake! v11 Then Pharaoh *commanded his clever men to come in. These men, the *magicians of Egypt, did the same thing as Aaron. They did it by their bad, powerful authority. v12 Each *magician threw down his stick and it became a snake. But Aaron?s stick ate their sticks! v13 But still Pharaoh felt angry and cruel. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. This was what the *Lord had said would happen.

Moses makes water into blood

v14 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?There is no change in Pharaoh?s thoughts. He refuses to let the people go. v15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes to the river. Wait for him by the edge of the river. Then take in your hand the stick that became a snake. v16 Then say to him: ?The *Lord, the God of the *Israelites has sent me to you. The *Lord says: ?Let my people go. Let them *worship me in the *desert.? But until now, you have not listened. v17 So this is what the *Lord says: ?In this way, you will know that I am the *Lord. Moses will hit the water with the stick that is in his hand. And the water will become blood. v18 And the fish in the water will die. And the river will have a very bad smell. Then the *Egyptians will not want to drink the water from the river.? ? ?

v19 And the *Lord said to Moses: ?Say to Aaron: ?Take your stick. Lift up your hand over the waters of Egypt. Lift it up over their rivers and their streams. Lift it up over their ponds and pools of water. They will all become blood. There will be blood in every part of the country called Egypt. There will be blood in all the stone pots. There will be blood also in every bucket that men have made from wood.? ?

v20 Moses and Aaron obeyed the *Lord. Aaron lifted up the stick in front of Pharaoh and his servants. He hit the water in the river with the stick. Then all the water in the river became blood. v21 The fish in the river died. The river became bad and the *Egyptians could not drink its water. There was blood in every part of the country called Egypt.

v22 But the *magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their bad powerful authority. So there was no change in Pharaoh?s thoughts. He still refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. The *Lord had said that this would happen. v23 Pharaoh turned and he went away into his house. He did not think about what had happened. v24 And the *Egyptians dug holes near the river to find water to drink. They could not drink the water from the river itself.

v25 Seven days went by after the *Lord had made the water in the river into blood.

Chapter 8

Moses and Aaron bring *frogs out of the water

v1 The *Lord said to Moses: ?Go to Pharaoh and say to him: ?These are the words of the *Lord. Let my people go. Let them *worship me. v2 But if you do not let them go, I will send thousands of *frogs into your country.

v3 The river will be full of *frogs. The *frogs will come into your house. They will jump into your bed. They will come into the houses of your servants. They will come into the houses of your people. They will jump into the hot places where you cook your food. They will jump into the dishes where you mix your flour and water.

v4 The *frogs will jump up on you. They will jump up on your people and on all your servants.? ?

v5 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Say to Aaron: ?Take your stick in your hand. Then raise your hand. Lift it up over the rivers, the streams and the pools. You will cause *frogs to come up over the whole country of Egypt.? ?

v6 So Aaron lifted up his hand over the waters of Egypt. Then the *frogs came up over the whole country of Egypt.

v7 But the *magicians did the same thing by their bad powerful authority. They also made *frogs come up on the country of Egypt.

v8 Then Pharaoh *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him. He said: ?Ask the *Lord to remove the *frogs from me and from my people. Then I will let your people go. They can *sacrifice to the *Lord.? v9 Moses said to Pharaoh: ?You can choose the time when I will speak to God. Then I will ask God to do this for you, for your servants and for your people. I will ask God to remove the *frogs from you and from your house. The *frogs will remain only in the river.?

v10 And Pharaoh said: ?Do it tomorrow.?

Moses answered: ?It will be as you say. Then you will know that there is nobody like the *Lord our God. v11 The *frogs will leave you and your house. They will leave the houses of your servants and your people. They will remain only in the river.?

v12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh. Then Moses prayed to the *Lord about the *frogs that he had brought on Pharaoh. v13 And the *Lord did what Moses asked. The *frogs died in the houses, in the yards and in the fields. v14 The people swept the *frogs together and there was a very bad smell over the whole country. v15 But when Pharaoh saw that the *frogs were dead, he became angry again. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron. The *Lord had said that this would happen.

The *gnats arrive

v16 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Say to Aaron, ?Lift up your stick and hit the dirt on the ground. It will become *gnats in the whole country of Egypt.? ?

v17 Moses and Aaron obeyed God. Aaron lifted up his hand and he hit the dirt with his stick. Then *gnats flew on to all the people and on to all the animals. The dirt on the ground became *gnats through the whole country of Egypt. v18 Then the *magicians tried to make *gnats by their bad powerful authority. But they could not do it. And the *gnats were on all the people and on all the animals.

v19 Then the *magicians said to Pharaoh: ?This is the work of God.? But there was no change in Pharaoh?s thoughts. He would not listen to the *magicians. God had said that this would happen.

The flies arrive

v20 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Get up early in the morning. Meet Pharaoh when he goes out to the water. Then say to him: ?The *Lord says: ?Let My people go. Let them *worship me. v21 If you do not let my people go, I will send thousands of flies on you. I will send them on your servants and on your people. I will send them into your houses. The houses of the *Egyptians will be full of flies. The flies will even cover the ground that the houses stand on.

v22 But on that day, the country of Goshen will be separate. That is where my people live. There will be no flies there. Then you will know that I, the *Lord, am in this country.

v23 I will make a difference between my people and your people. This *sign will happen tomorrow.? ? ?

v24 And this is what the *Lord did. Great numbers of flies came into Pharaoh?s house and into his servants? houses. The flies destroyed the whole country of Egypt.

v25 Then Pharaoh *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him. He said: ?Go! You can *sacrifice to your God here, in the country of Egypt.? v26 But Moses said: ?It would not be right to do that. The *Egyptians do not like our *sacrifices of animals to the *Lord our God. If we *sacrifice these animals, the *Egyptians will throw stones at us. They will throw them until we are dead. v27 We must go on a journey for three days, into the *desert. Then we shall *sacrifice to the *Lord our God, as he *commands us.?

v28 So Pharaoh said: ?I will let you go. You can *sacrifice to the *Lord your God in the *desert. But do not go very far away. And pray for me too.?

v29 Then Moses said: ?I will leave you now. And I will pray to the *Lord. Tomorrow, all the flies will leave the country of Egypt. They will fly away from your servants and from your people. But be careful! Do not do wrong things to us, as you did before. At that time, you did not let the people *sacrifice to the *Lord.?

v30 So Moses left Pharaoh and Moses prayed to the *Lord. v31 And the *Lord did what Moses asked him. All the flies left Pharaoh and his servants and his people. Not one fly remained! v32 But again, Pharaoh refused to let the people go. There was no change in his thoughts.

Chapter 9

The animals become ill and die

v1 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Go to Pharaoh and say to him: ?The *Lord, the God of the *Israelites says: ?Let my people go. Let them *worship me. v2 If you refuse to let them go, you will have trouble. If you still keep them in Egypt, v3 the *Lord will send a very bad illness on your animals. All your animals in the fields will become ill. The horses, the *donkeys, the *camels, the cows, the sheep and the goats will all become very ill.

v4 But the *Lord will make a difference between the animals of the *Israelites and the animals of the *Egyptians. None of the animals of the *Israelites will die.? ? ?

v5 And God decided when this thing would happen. He said: ?Tomorrow I will do this thing in the country of Egypt.? v6 So on the next day, God did it! All the animals of the *Egyptians died. But not one of the animals of the *Israelites died. v7 Pharaoh sent men to see what had happened. And they reported that not one of the animals of the *Israelites was dead! But there was no change in Pharaoh?s mind. He did not let the people go.

The illness of *boils

v8 Then the *Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ?Take in your hands some ashes from the fire. Throw them up in the air as Pharaoh watches. v9 They will become very small bits of dirt over the whole country of Egypt. These will cause *boils to appear on the skin. Both people and animals will have these *boils on their skin, through the whole country.?

v10 So they took ashes from the fire and they stood in front of Pharaoh. Moses threw the ashes up in the air. And *boils appeared on both people and animals. v11 Because of the *boils, the *magicians could not stand in front of Moses. All the *Egyptians had *boils, even the *magicians. v12 But Pharaoh refused to listen to them. The *Lord had told Moses that this would happen. The *Lord himself made it happen.

Pieces of ice fall on the whole country of Egypt

v13 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Get up early in the morning and go to Pharaoh. Say to him: ?This is what the *Lord, the God of the *Israelites says: ?Let my people go to *worship me. v14 Or this time, I will send all my worst troubles against you. I will send them against your servants and against your people. I want you to know that there is nobody like me in the whole earth. That is why I am doing this. v15 Already I could have killed you and your people with one very bad trouble. I could have removed you from the earth. v16 But I have let you live, to show you my power. This is so that people will speak about my powerful name, over the whole world. v17 You still think bad thoughts about my people. You will not let them go.

v18 Look! Tomorrow at this time, I will send a very great storm. Heavy pieces of ice will fall. Nobody has ever seen anything like this in Egypt. From Egypt?s first day as a country, nobody has seen a storm like this. v19 Now send your servants out. They must bring all your animals from the fields into the buildings. The ice will fall on every human and on every animal that is outside. They will all die.? ? ?

v20 Then those of Pharaoh?s servants who were afraid of the *Lord?s words obeyed God. They quickly brought their slaves and animals inside the buildings. v21 But those who did not listen to the *Lord?s words left their slaves and animals outside.

v22 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Lift up your hand towards the sky. Then ice will fall over all the country of Egypt. It will fall on every person and on every animal. It will fall on every plant that grows in all the fields in Egypt.?

v23 When Moses lifted up his stick towards the sky, the *Lord sent a great storm. And the *Lord rained large pieces of ice upon the country of Egypt. Also, fire ran along the ground. v24 The ice fell and the fire burned. It was the worst storm that the country of Egypt had ever known. v25 The ice knocked down everything that was in the fields. In the whole country of Egypt it hit both people and animals. It knocked down every plant in the fields and it broke every tree. v26 But in the country of Goshen, there were no pieces of ice. That was where *Israel?s people lived.

v27 Then Pharaoh *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him. And Pharaoh said: ?This time, I have done a wrong thing. The *Lord is right. I and my people are wrong. v28 Pray to the *Lord because we have had enough storms and ice. I will let you go! You do not need to stay here now.?

v29 Then Moses said to Pharaoh: ?When I have left the city, I will lift my hands to the *Lord. I will pray to him. Then the storm will stop and there will be no more ice. Then you will know that the whole world belongs to the *Lord. v30 But I know you and your servants. You still do not believe in the *Lord God.?

v31 The large pieces of ice had destroyed the *flax and the *barley. This was because the barley plants were ready for men to cut them. And the *flax plants had buds on them. v32 But the ice had not destroyed the wheat and the spelt. This was because they appeared out of the ground later.

v33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and Moses went out of the city. Moses lifted up his hands to the *Lord. Then the storms and the ice stopped. The rain also stopped falling on the earth.

v34 Pharaoh saw that the rain and the ice and the storms had stopped. But he did a wrong thing again. He and his servants did not do what they had promised to do. There had been no change in his thoughts. v35 Pharaoh still refused to listen to God. He did not let the *Israelites go. This is what the *Lord had said would happen. Moses had told Pharaoh these words.

Chapter 10

God sends *locusts to Egypt

v1 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Go in to Pharaoh. I have caused him not to listen to me. And I have caused his servants also not to listen to me. I have done this so that I can show my *signs among them. v2 You can tell your sons and your grandsons how I *punished the *Egyptians. You can tell them about the *signs that I have done among them. In this way, you will know that I am the *Lord.?

v3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him: ?The *Lord, the God of the *Israelites says: ?You still refuse to obey me. Let my people go. Let them *worship me. v4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring *locusts into your country tomorrow. v5 And they will cover the whole country. Nobody will be able to see the ground. They will eat everything that the ice has not destroyed. This will include every tree that is still growing in your fields.

v6 They will fill your houses. They will fill your servants? houses. And they will fill the *Egyptians? houses. It will be like nothing your father or your grandfather have ever seen. It has never happened before.? ? Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

v7 Pharaoh?s servants said to him: ?Stop keeping this man with us, to cause problems. Let the people go, to *worship the *Lord their God. Surely you know now that they have destroyed Egypt!? v8 So Pharaoh *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him again. He said: ?Go, *worship the *Lord your God. But which of you will go??

v9 And Moses said: ?We will all go, both young people and old people. We will take our sons and daughters. We will take our animals, because we must have a party for the *Lord.?

v10 Pharaoh said to them: ?The *Lord will certainly be with you, if ever I let you go with your women and children! I can see that you have decided to do something bad. v11 No! Only the men can go and *worship the *Lord. That is what you have asked for.? And Pharaoh was angry and he sent Moses and Aaron away from him.

v12 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Lift up your hand over the country of Egypt. Then *locusts will fly over the country of Egypt. They will eat every plant in the country, all that the ice has not destroyed.?

v13 So Moses lifted up his stick over the country of Egypt. And the *Lord caused an east wind to blow across the country, for the whole day and the whole night. In the morning, the east wind had brought the *locusts. v14 And the *locusts flew into every part of the country of Egypt. They landed everywhere, thousands of *locusts. There had never been so many *locusts in one place before. And it will never happen again. v15 The *locusts covered all the ground, until the ground became black with *locusts. They ate all the plants in the country. They ate all the fruit of the trees. They ate everything that the ice had not destroyed. Not one green thing remained on tree or plant, in all the country of Egypt.

v16 Then Pharaoh quickly *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him. He said: ?I have done bad things against the *Lord your God and against you. v17 Please *forgive me once more for the bad things that I have done. Please ask the *Lord your God to remove this cruel and dangerous trouble from me.?

v18 Then Moses left Pharaoh and Moses prayed to the *Lord. v19 And the *Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. This wind lifted the *locusts and it carried them into the Red Sea. Not one *locust remained in all the country of Egypt. v20 But the *Lord caused Pharaoh to change his mind and he would not let the *Israelites go.

God makes Egypt completely dark

v21 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ?Lift up your hand towards the sky. Then it will be dark over the whole country of Egypt. It will be so dark that people will be able to feel it.? v22 So Moses lifted up his hand towards the sky and it became completely dark through the whole country of Egypt. It was dark for three days. v23 People could not see each other. Nobody could get up and move about for three days. But all the *Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

v24 Then Pharaoh *commanded Moses to come to him. He said: ?Go, *worship the *Lord. Even your women and your children can go with you. Only your animals must remain.? v25 But Moses said: ?You must also let us take animals with us. We will *sacrifice them and burn them, as gifts to the *Lord our God.?

v26 ?We must take our animals with us. Not one can remain behind. We will use some of them to *worship the *Lord our God. Until we arrive in the *desert, we will not know which animals. But we will use some of them, to *worship the *Lord our God.?

v27 But the *Lord caused Pharaoh to refuse. Pharaoh would not listen. He would not let them go. v28 Then Pharaoh said to Moses: ?Go away from me! Never appear in front of me again! On the day that you see my face, you will die!? v29 And Moses said: ?You are right! I will never appear in front of you again.?

Chapter 11

The death of every *firstborn son in Egypt

v1 The *Lord said to Moses: ?I will bring one more bad trouble on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Then Pharaoh will let you go away. He will really cause you to go out of the country completely. v2 Tell the people now what they must do. Every man must ask the *Egyptians that live near him for gold and *silver. Every woman must do the same thing.? v3 And the *Lord made the *Egyptians think well of the *Israelites. Also, Pharaoh?s servants and the *Egyptian people thought very well of Moses.

v4 So Moses said: ?The *Lord says this: ?At about midnight, I will walk through the country of Egypt. v5 Then all the *firstborn sons in the country of Egypt will die. The *firstborn son of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, will die. The *firstborn son of the slave, the woman who makes flour, will die. Even the *firstborn of the animals will die.? ?

v6 ? ?Everyone will be crying loudly in the whole country called Egypt. Never before have the people felt so sad or cried so loudly. It will never happen again. v7 But among the *Israelites, not even a wild animal will attack any of them. Then you will know that the *Lord makes a difference between Egypt and *Israel.? v8 All these servants of yours will come to me. They will fall down in front of me. They will say to me: ?Go! Both you and all the people who follow you.? And then, I will leave.? Then Moses was very angry and he left Pharaoh.

v9 The *Lord had said to Moses: ?Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. But then I will do even greater *signs in the country of Egypt.? v10 Moses and Aaron did all these signs in front of Pharaoh. But the *Lord made Pharaoh angry and cruel. So Pharaoh would not let the *Israelites go out of his country.

Chapter 12

The *Passover

v1 The *Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the country of Egypt. v2 He said: ?This month will be for you the first month of your year. v3 Tell the *Israelites that the 10th day of this month is special. Each man must take a young sheep for his family. Take one young sheep for each home. v4 The family may be too small to eat a whole sheep. Then they must eat it with another small family. You must decide this by how much each person can eat. v5 Each young sheep must have nothing wrong with it. It must be a male that is one year old. It can be either a young sheep or a young goat.

v6 Keep the young sheep safe until the 14th day of the month. Then all *Israel?s people must kill the young sheep in the evening. v7 Then they must take some of the blood. They must put it on the wood that is round the door of their houses. They must do this to the houses where they will eat the young sheep. v8 That night, they must cook the meat over the fire and they must eat it. They must eat it with special plants and with bread that has no *yeast in it. v9 You must cook the meat, but do not boil it in water. Cook the meat over the fire, with the head, the legs and the inside parts of the animal. v10 You must eat all of the meat before the morning comes. If you cannot eat it before the morning, then you must burn it. v11 This is how you must eat the young sheep: Fix your belt round your coat, put your shoes on your feet. Take your stick in your hand and eat the food quickly.

This meal will be called the *Passover of the *Lord.

v12 I will pass through the country of Egypt on that night. I will kill every *firstborn, both men and animals. I will *punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the *Lord. v13 The blood will be a *sign for you, on all the houses where you live. When I see the blood on the house, then I will pass over you. No bad thing will touch you, when I attack the country of Egypt.?

v14 ?You must remember this day as a special day every year. On this day, you must make a special party for the *Lord. You must obey this rule in your families for all time. v15 For 7 days, you must eat bread with no *yeast in it. On the first day, you must remove all *yeast from your houses. Whoever eats bread with *yeast in it, during the 7 days, he does a bad thing. You must remove him from *Israel?s people. v16 On the first day, you must bring together all the people to a special meeting. And you must do the same thing on the 7th day. On these special days, you must not do any work except to prepare food. This is the only work that you can do.

v17 Enjoy the meal of the bread with no *yeast in it. It was on this same day that I brought your armies out of Egypt. That is why you must enjoy this day as a special day, for all time. This is a rule that you must always obey. v18 In the first month, you must eat bread without *yeast in it. Do this from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day. v19 You must not have any *yeast in your houses, for 7 days. Whoever eats anything with *yeast in it, he does a bad thing. You must remove that person from the rest of the *Israelites. You must do this if that person is a foreign person. You must also do it if he was born in that country. v20 Eat nothing that has *yeast in it. Whatever country you live in, you must eat bread without *yeast in it.?

v21 Then Moses *commanded the leaders of the *Israelites to come to him. He said to them: ?Go and choose young sheep immediately, for your families. Then kill the animals for the *Passover party. v22 Take some *hyssop. Make it wet with the blood that is in the dish. Then put some of the blood on the wood that is round your door. Nobody must go out of the door of his house until the morning.?

v23 ?The *Lord will pass through the country and he will kill the *Egyptians. But when the *Lord sees the blood on the wood round the door, he will pass over that house. He will stop the person who kills. The *Lord will not let him come into your houses. The *Lord will not let him kill you.

v24 You must obey these rules always, both you and your sons, for all time. v25 You will come into the country that the *Lord promised to give you. Then you must obey these rules. v26 Your children may say to you: ?What does this party mean to you?? v27 Then you must say to them: ?It is the *Lord?s *Passover party. The *Lord passed over the houses of the *Israelites when they were in Egypt. He killed the *Egyptians but he saved the people in our houses.? ? Then the people bent their heads and they *worshipped God. v28 And the *Israelites did everything that the *Lord had *commanded Moses and Aaron.

v29 At midnight, the *Lord killed all the *firstborn sons in the country of Egypt. The *firstborn son of Pharaoh, the king, died. But also, the *firstborn son of any man who was in prison died. Every *firstborn son in Egypt died. All the *firstborn animals died also. v30 Pharaoh and all his servants got up in the middle of the night. All the *Egyptians also got up in the middle of the night. Everyone was crying in Egypt because there was a dead person in every home.

The *Israelites leave Egypt

v31 Then Pharaoh *commanded Moses and Aaron to come to him, during the night. He said: ?Get up! Go away from my people! You and all the *Israelites, go! Go. And *worship the *Lord, as you want to. v32 Take all your animals with you, as you have said. Go away! But ask God to do good things to me too.?

v33 The *Egyptians really wanted the *Israelites to leave. They wanted to send them out of the country immediately. The *Egyptians said: ?If we do not send them away immediately, we will all die!? v34 So the *Israelites took their bread before they had cooked it. They had not even put the *yeast into it. They put the bread in dishes and they covered it with clothes. Then they carried the dishes on their shoulders. v35 The *Israelites had obeyed Moses. They had asked the *Egyptians for *silver and gold. They had also asked them for clothes. v36 The *Lord had made the *Egyptians think good thoughts about the *Israelites. Because of this, the *Egyptians let them have all that they asked for. So the *Israelites took everything that was valuable from the *Egyptians.

v37 Then the *Israelites travelled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600 000 men who walked. There were also many women and children. v38 Many other people travelled with them. And they had a very large number of animals, both sheep and cows. v39 The *Israelites cooked the bread that they had brought with them from Egypt. It had no *yeast in it, because the *Israelites left Egypt quickly. The *Egyptians had pushed them out. The *Israelites did not have time to make bread with *yeast in it. Nor did they have time to prepare any other food.

v40 The *Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. v41 It was on the last day of the 430 years that all the *Lord?s people left the country called Egypt. v42 The *Lord did not sleep on that night, when he brought the *Israelites out of Egypt. Because of this, all the *Israelites must not sleep during this special night, every year. They and their families must remember this rule, for all time. They must do this, to thank the *Lord.

Rules for the *Passover party

v43 Then the *Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ?These are the rules for the*Passover party.

No foreign person can eat the *Passover food. v44 If you buy a foreign slave, you must first *circumcise him. Then he can eat the food. v45 But if you pay him money for his work, he must not eat the food. A visitor must not eat the food.

v46 You must eat the meat in one house. You must not take any of the meat outside the house. You must not break any of the bones in the meat. v47 All the *Israelites must enjoy the party together.

v48 There may be a foreign person who lives among you. He may want to enjoy the *Lord?s *Passover too. But he must first *circumcise himself and all the males in his house. Then he can enjoy the *Passover party, like a man who is born in *Israel. But no male person without *circumcision can enjoy the *Passover party. v49 The *Israelites and the foreign people who live among you must all obey this rule.?

v50 All the *Israelites did everything that the *Lord had *commanded Moses and Aaron. v51 And on the same day, the *Lord brought the *Israelites out of Egypt, like a large army of people.

Chapter 13

The *firstborn males are special

v1 The *Lord spoke to Moses. v2 He said: ?Keep every *firstborn male separate and special for me. Every male who is the first to be born of his mother is mine. He is mine, whether he is man or animal.?

v3 Moses said to the people: ?Remember this day, the day when you came out of Egypt. You left the place where you were slaves. The *Lord brought you out with powerful authority. Remember! Do not eat anything that that has *yeast in it on this day. v4 Today you are leaving Egypt. It is the month of Abib. v5 The *Lord will bring you to the country of the *Canaanites, the *Hittites, the *Amorites, the *Hivites and the *Jebusites. God promised your *ancestors that he would give that country to you. It is a country where there is plenty to eat and to drink. When the *Lord brings you in, you must enjoy the *Passover party in this month. v6 For 7 days you must eat bread without *yeast in it. Then on the 7th day you must have a party for the *Lord. v7 Eat bread without *yeast during those 7 days. There must not be anything that has *yeast in it among you. Nobody must see any *yeast anywhere, in the whole of your country. v8 On that day, you must tell your son the reason for this. Say to him: ?I do this because of what the *Lord did for me. This is because he brought me out of Egypt.? v9 This special time will be like a sign on your hand. It will be like something that you fix between your eyes. It will cause you to remember. Then you will not forget to speak always about the *Law of the *Lord. It is because the *Lord brought you out of Egypt with great power. v10 At the same time, every year, you must obey what I have said.

v11 The *Lord will bring you into the country of the *Canaanites. It is the country that he promised to you and to your *ancestors. He will give it to you. v12 You must give to the *Lord all the males that are born first. All the male animals that are born first are the *Lord?s animals. v13 When a *donkey is born first, you must kill a young sheep instead of the *donkey. If you do not do that, then the *donkey must die. You must break its neck. If your son is born first, then you must kill an animal instead of your son.

v14 One day, your son may ask you a question: ?What does this mean?? Then you must say to him: ?The *Lord brought us out of Egypt with powerful authority. He brought us from the place where we were slaves. v15 Pharaoh completely refused to let us go. But the *Lord killed all the *firstborn sons in the country of Egypt. He killed all the *firstborn males, both people and animals. That is why I do this. I kill and I give to the *Lord all the *firstborn male animals. But I do not kill the *firstborn sons. Instead, I kill an animal for each *firstborn son and I give it to God.? v16 So, it will be like a sign on your hand and something between your eyes. It will cause you to remember. You will remember that the *Lord brought us out of Egypt with his powerful authority.?

The *Israelites cross the Red Sea

v17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the country of the *Philistines. This was near, but God did not do that. God said: ?If the people see war, they may change their minds. Then they may return to Egypt.? v18 So God led the people round by the *desert road. They went toward the Red Sea. When the *Israelites came out of the country of Egypt, they were ready to fight.

v19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Joseph had caused the *Israelites to promise to do this. He had said: ?God will save you and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.?

v20 The *Israelites moved on from Succoth. Then they stayed at Etham, on the edge of the *desert. And the *Lord went in front of them. v21 During the day, God led them in a cloud that went in front of them. During the night, he went in a cloud that had fire in it. This gave them light, so they could travel during the day or the night. v22 The cloud did not leave the people during the day. Nor did the fire in the cloud leave them during the night. It was always in front of them.

Chapter 14

v1 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. v2 He said: ?Tell the *Israelites that they must stop. Tell them that they must stay near Pihahiroth. This is a place between Migdol and the sea. They must stay by the sea, across from Baal-zephon. v3 Then Pharaoh will think: ?The *Israelites are confused. They are walking round and round the country. The *desert has shut them in.? v4 And I will cause Pharaoh to think cruel thoughts. He will go after the *Israelites. Then I will show how great I am, by Pharaoh and his whole army. Because of this, the *Egyptians will know that I am the *Lord.? So the *Israelites obeyed God.

v5 Someone told the king of Egypt that the *Israelites had run away. Then Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the *Israelites. They said: ?We have done a silly thing. We have let the *Israelites go. We have lost our slaves!? v6 So Pharaoh prepared his *chariot and he took his army with him. v7 He took 600 of his best *chariots with him. He also took all the other *chariots of Egypt, with officers to drive them. v8 And the *Lord made Pharaoh, king of Egypt think more cruel thoughts. So Pharaoh followed after the brave *Israelites, when they marched out.

v9 The *Egyptians went after the *Israelites. They went with all Pharaoh?s horses, *chariots and soldiers. They came near to the *Israelites, who were by the sea. It was near Pihahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

v10 Pharaoh was coming nearer. The *Israelites looked up. They saw that the *Egyptians had marched after them. Then the *Israelites were afraid and they shouted aloud to the *Lord. v11 They said to Moses: ?There are many places in Egypt to bury dead people! You did not have to bring us here! Have you brought us here to die in the *desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? v12 We said to you in Egypt: ?Leave us alone. Let us work for the *Egyptians.? It would have been better for us to do that. Then, anyway, we would not die in the *desert!?

v13 Then Moses spoke to the people. He said: ?Do not be afraid. Stand quietly. See how the *Lord will save you today. The *Egyptians that you see today you will never see again. v14 The *Lord will fight for you. You will only have to be quiet.?

v15 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Do not shout aloud to me. *Command the *Israelites to march on. v16 Lift up your stick. Lift up your hand over the sea. Then the water will become two separate parts. Then the *Israelites can cross the sea on dry ground. v17 I will make the *Egyptians angry and they will follow the *Israelites into the sea. And I will show my powerful authority by Pharaoh and by his army and by all his *chariots. v18 Then the *Egyptians will know that I am the *Lord.?

v19 The *angel of God went in front of the army of the *Israelites. Now he moved and he went behind them. The special cloud moved also and it stood behind the army. v20 It stood between the *Egyptian army and the *Israelite army. During the whole night, the *Egyptians were in the dark, because of the cloud. But the *Israelites were in the light, because there was fire in the cloud. So the *Egyptians stayed away from the *Israelites during the whole night.

v21 Then Moses lifted up his hand over the sea. During that whole night, the *Lord made the sea go back. He did this with a strong wind that made the water into two separate parts. The ground below the sea became like dry land. v22 Then the *Israelites walked on the dry ground in the middle of the sea. The water was like a wall on their right side and on their left side.

v23 The *Egyptians went after them and followed them into the middle of the sea. All Pharaoh?s horses and his *chariots did this. And so did the men who drove the *chariots. v24 In the early morning, the *Lord looked down, from the cloud with fire in it. He looked at the *Egyptian army and he confused them. v25 Their *chariots could not move easily in the sand. It became very difficult for the *Egyptians to drive their *chariots. So the *Egyptians said: ?Let us run away from the *Israelites. It is the *Lord who fights for them, against Egypt.?

v26 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ?Lift up your hand over the sea. Then the waters will return. They will cover the *Egyptians, their *chariots and the men who drive them.? v27 So Moses lifted up his hand over the sea. And at dawn, the sea returned to its own place. The *Egyptians ran away from the water, as fast as they could. But the *Lord killed them. The *Egyptians drowned in the middle of the sea. v28 The water returned. It covered the *chariots and the men that drove them. The water covered Pharaoh?s whole army that had followed the *Israelites into the sea. Not one of those men remained alive.

v29 But the *Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea. The water was like a wall on their right side and on their left side. v30 On that day, the *Lord saved the *Israelites from the *Egyptians. The *Israelites saw the dead bodies of the *Egyptians, which lay on the shore. v31 Then the *Israelites saw what a great thing the *Lord had done against the *Egyptians. So the *Israelites were afraid of the *Lord. But they believed that he loved them. They also loved and obeyed Moses, the *Lord?s servant.

Chapter 15

The song of Moses

v1 Then Moses and the *Israelites sang this song to the *Lord:

I will sing to the *Lord, because he is great and powerful.

He threw horses and the men who ride them into the sea.

v2 The *Lord makes me strong and he gives me a song. He has saved me.

He is my God and I will *praise him.

He is my father?s God and I will *praise him.

v3 The *Lord is like a great soldier. The *Lord is his name.

v4 He threw Pharaoh?s *chariots and armies into the sea.

Pharaoh?s best officers drowned in the Red Sea.

v5 The deep waters have covered them.

They fell to the floor of the sea, like a stone.

v6 Your right hand, *Lord, was great and very powerful.

Your right hand, *Lord, killed the enemy.

v7 With your powerful authority, you killed your enemies.

You were very angry with them. You killed them, like a fire burns dry grass.

v8 You blew on the water and it became like a wall.

The deep waters stood up and they did not move.

v9 The enemy said: ?I will go after them. I will catch them.

I will take good things from these *Israelites and I will give them to my army.

I will be very happy to do this! I will pull out my sharp knife and I will kill them.?

v10 But you blew on the waters and the sea covered your enemies.

They went down like heavy metal in the great waters.

v11 Oh *Lord, there is nobody like you among the gods! There is nobody like you anywhere!

You are so great and so *holy. You frighten us with your bright light.

You do great and powerful things.

v12 You lifted up your right hand. You caused a hole to open in the ground. Your enemies fell into it.

v13 Because your love never changes, you have led your people.

They are the ones that you have saved.

With your strong hand, you will be their guide to your *holy home.

v14 The people in other countries will hear and they will be very afraid.

You will frighten the people in Philistia with a great pain.

v15 The rulers of Edom will feel weak and very afraid.

The leaders of Moab cannot stand. They are so much afraid.

All the people in Canaan will run away.

v16 They are very afraid of your powerful authority.

They cannot move. They have become like stones that do not move.

And they will remain like that, until your people pass by them, *Lord.

They will not move, until your own people have passed by them.

v17 You will bring in your people. You will bring them to live on your own mountain.

*Lord, it is the place that you have prepared for your home.

It is the *holy place, *Lord, that you yourself have built.

v18 The *Lord will rule for all time.

v19 Pharaoh?s horses and his *chariots had gone into the sea, with the men who drove them. Then the *Lord had made the waters of the sea come back over them. But the *Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground. v20 Then Miriam, Aaron?s sister, who was a female *prophet, took a *tambourine in her hand. All the other women followed Miriam, with *tambourines in their hands. They danced when Miriam sang to them.

v21 This is the song that she sang:

?Sing to the *Lord!

He is great and powerful.

He threw into the sea

the horse and the man who rides it!?

The waters of Marah and Elim

v22 Then Moses led the *Israelites away from the *Red Sea. They travelled into the *desert called Shur. They walked into the *desert for three days and they could not find any water. v23 Then, when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there. They tasted the water, but it was bad. That is why they called that place ?Marah?. Marah means ?it tastes bad?. v24 Then the people were not happy and they spoke against Moses. They said: ?What can we drink??

v25 Then Moses prayed to the *Lord and the *Lord showed Moses a special piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water and then the water became clean and good.

In that place, the *Lord made a rule and a *law for the *Israelites. He checked them there, in that place. v26 He said: ?Be careful to listen to the voice of the *Lord, your God. Do what he says is right. Obey his *commands and all his rules. Then I will not bring on you the illnesses that I gave to the *Egyptians. I am the *Lord. I make you well again.?

v27 Then they came to Elim. There they found 12 wells of water and 70 *palm trees. And the *Israelites stayed there, by the water.

Chapter 16

God sends bread and meat

v1 Then all the *Israelites left Elim and they came into the *desert called Sin. This is between Elim and Sinai. They arrived in the *desert on the 15th day of the second month after they had left the country called Egypt. v2 When they were in the *desert, all the *Israelites said bad things against Moses and Aaron. v3 The *Israelites said to them: ?We wish that the *Lord had killed us in Egypt! There, we sat round pots of meat. We ate all the food that we wanted. But now you have brought us into this *desert. We shall all die, every one of us, because there is no food to eat.?

v4 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ?I will cause bread to fall down from the sky for you. Each day, the people must go out and pick up enough bread for that day. In this way I will discover what they are like. I will discover whether they will obey my rules. v5 And on the sixth day, they must pick up and prepare twice as much bread.?

v6 So Moses and Aaron spoke to the *Israelites. They said: ?In the evening, you will know who brought you out of Egypt. It was the *Lord! v7 And in the morning, you will see how great and powerful the *Lord is. The *Lord has heard the bad things that you have said against him. We, Moses and Aaron, are not important. You should not say bad things against us.? v8 And Moses also said: ?The *Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening. And in the morning, he will give you all the bread that you want. He will do this because he has heard you. He has heard the bad things that you have said against him. Aaron and I are not important. You have said bad things against the *Lord, not against us.?

v9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron: ?Say to all the *Israelites: ?Come near, in front of the *Lord. He has heard the bad things that you have said against him.? ? v10 While Aaron spoke, the *Israelites looked toward the *desert. And they saw the *glory of the *Lord! It appeared in the cloud.

v11 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. v12 He said: ?I have heard the bad things that the *Israelites have said against me. Tell them this: ?In the evening, you will eat meat. And in the morning you will eat all the bread that you want. Then you will know that I am the *Lord your God.? ?

v13 That same evening, *quails flew down and they covered the whole ground.

And in the morning, there was something like rain on all the ground where the *Israelites were living. v14 When the ground was dry again, small white pieces of material remained on the ground in the *desert. They looked like little pieces of ice. v15 When the *Israelites saw these pieces, they said: ?What is it?? They did not understand what it was. But Moses said to them: ?This is the bread that the *Lord has given to you. It is for you to eat. v16 This is what the *Lord has *commanded: ?Every man must pick up as much as he needs to eat. Pick up about two litres for each person who lives in your *tent.? ?

v17 So the *Israelites did this. Some of them picked up a lot of the food. Some of them picked up a little food. v18 But when they measured the amount, everyone had the right amount of food. The person who had picked up a lot did not have too much. And the person who had picked up only a little food still had enough food. Each person had picked up what he needed.

v19 Then Moses said to them: ?Do not keep any of it until the morning.?

v20 But some of them did not listen to Moses. They kept part of the food until the morning. But very small snakes appeared in it. And it began to have a bad smell. Then Moses was angry with those people.

v21 Each morning, everyone picked up as much food as he needed. But when the heat of the sun became strong, the food became soft. Then it went away. v22 On the sixth day, the *Israelites picked up twice as much food. They picked up four litres for each person. Then the leaders of the people reported this to Moses. v23 Moses said to them: ?This is what the *Lord *commanded you to do. He said: ?Tomorrow is a special day for rest. It is a *Sabbath day, for the *Lord. Cook the food that you want to cook. Boil the food that you want to boil. And you can keep whatever remains, until the morning.? ?

v24 So they kept the food until the morning, as Moses had said. The food did not have a bad smell and there were no small snakes in it. v25 Moses said: ?Eat it today, because this day is a *Sabbath to the *Lord. You will not find any food on the ground today. v26 On six days of the week, you must pick it up from the ground. But on the 7th day of the week, there will be none of this food on the ground. That is because the 7th day is the *Sabbath day.?

v27 But on the 7th day, some of the people went out to pick up food. And they did not find any. v28 Then the *Lord spoke to Moses. He said: ?The people always refuse to obey my *commands. They always refuse to do what I say! v29 Remember that the *Lord has given the *Sabbath to you. That is why he gives you enough food for two days. He does this on the sixth day. Then everyone must stay at home on the 7th day. Nobody must go out on the 7th day.? v30 So the people rested on the 7th day.

v31 Now the *Israelites called the special food ?*manna?. It was white, like *coriander seed. When they tasted the *manna, it was like thin pieces of bread with *honey in it.

v32 And Moses said: ?This is what the *Lord has *commanded. He said: ?Keep 1 omer of *manna (this is equal to 2 litres) for the people in future times. Then they will see the bread that I fed to you in the *desert. I gave this to you when I brought you out of the country called Egypt.? ?

v33 So Moses spoke to Aaron. He said: ?Put one *omer of *manna into a pot. Then put the pot in the *tabernacle. We must keep it, so that our people can see it in the future times.?

v34 And Aaron did what the *Lord had said to Moses. He put the pot in front of the *Testimony, to keep it safe.

v35 The *Israelites ate the *manna for 40 years, until they had finished their journey. They ate it until they came to the country called Canaan.

v36 (10 *omers is equal to 1 ephah.)

Chapter 17

God gives water out of a rock

v1 Then all the *Israelites travelled away from the *desert called Sin. They moved from one place to another, when the *Lord *commanded them. When they came to Rephidim, there was no water. The people had nothing to drink. v2 Because of this, the people quarrelled with Moses. They said: ?Give us water to drink!? And Moses said to them: ?You should not quarrel with me! You should not try to make the *Lord angry!?

v3 But the people needed water very much and they said bad things against Moses. They said: ?You should not have brought us out of Egypt! You will kill us and our children and our animals. We will die, because we have no water.?

v4 Then Moses shouted aloud to the *Lord. ?What shall I do with these people? They will throw stones at me soon. Then they will throw them until I am dead.?

v5 The *Lord said to Moses: ?Walk in front of the people. Bring some of the leaders of the *Israelites with you. Take your stick in your hand, the stick with which you hit the River Nile. Go! v6 I will stand there, in front of you, by the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock, and water will come out of it. Then the people can drink.? So Moses did this, while the leaders of the *Israelites watched him. v7 And he called that place Massah and Meribah, because the *Israelites quarrelled there. And they tried to make the *Lord angry. They said: ?Is the *Lord with us, or is he not with us??

The *Israelites beat the *Amalekites

v8 At Rephidim, the *Amalekites came out and they fought against the *Israelites. v9 Moses said to Joshua: ?Choose some of our men. Then go out and fight with the *Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill. And I will hold God?s stick in my hand.?

v10 So Joshua fought against the *Amalekites. He obeyed the words of Moses. Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. v11 When Moses lifted up his hand, the *Israelites were winning in the fight. But when Moses brought his hand down, the *Amalekites were winning in the fight. v12 Moses hands became tired. So Aaron and Hur put a stone under Moses and he sat on the stone. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses? hands. Aaron stood on one side of Moses and Hur stood on the other side. They held his hands up, until sunset. v13 So Joshua and his men beat the *Amalekite army in the fight.

v14 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Write these things on a *scroll. Then you will remember them. Joshua must hear my words because I will kill all of the *Amalekites. Nobody in the whole world will remember them.?

v15 Then Moses built a stone table and he called it ?The *Lord is my *banner?. v16 Moses said: ?I lifted up my hands to the *Lord on his seat, where he rules. I prayed to him. Now the *Lord has said that he will always fight against the *Amalekites.?

Chapter 18

Jethro visits Moses

v1 Jethro, the *priest of Midian, was the father of Moses? wife. He heard about all the things that God had done for Moses and for the *Israelites. He also heard how the *Lord had brought *Israel out of Egypt.

v2 Moses had sent Zipporah, who was his wife, back to her home. Then her father, Jethro, brought her v3 and her two sons into his house. One son was called Gershom. Moses said about him, ?I have become a stranger in a foreign country.? v4 The other son was called Eliezer. Moses said about him, ?My father?s God gave me help. He saved me from Pharaoh, when Pharaoh wanted to kill me.?

v5 Then Jethro came to Moses in the *desert. Moses was staying near the mountain of God. Jethro brought with him Moses? sons and Moses? wife. v6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses. He said: ?I am Jethro, your wife?s father. I am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.?

v7 So Moses went out to meet his wife?s father. Moses bent his head and he kissed Jethro. They spoke together and then they went into the *tent. v8 Moses told his wife?s father about all the things that the *Lord had done to Pharaoh. He told him also what the *Lord had done to the *Egyptians because of the *Israelites. He told Jethro about the troubles that had happened to them during the journey. And Moses told him how the *Lord had saved his people, the *Israelites.

v9 Jethro was very happy to listen to Moses. Moses repeated to him how the *Lord had saved the *Israelites from the authority of the *Egyptians. v10 Jethro said: ?Let us thank the *Lord, who saved you from the authority of Pharaoh and the *Egyptians. He saved all the people also from the authority of the *Egyptians. v11 Now I know that the *Lord is greater than all other gods. The *Lord did these things to the people who were cruel towards the *Israelites.? v12 Then Jethro, the father of Moses? wife, brought an animal, and other gifts, to God. And Aaron came, with all the leaders of the *Israelites. They ate a meal together with Jethro, where God could see them.

v13 The next day, Moses sat down to *judge the people. They stood round him from morning until evening. v14 Jethro saw all that Moses did for the people. Then he said: ?What is this that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone and *judge the people? These people stand round you during the whole day.?

v15 Moses answered Jethro: ?The people come to me to discover God?s *commands. v16 When they cannot agree, they come to me. I decide between them and I tell them about God?s *laws and rules.?

v17 The father of Moses? wife replied: ?The thing that you do is not good. v18 Both you and the people who come to you will become too tired. The work is too much for you. You cannot do it alone. v19 Now listen to me! I will give you some good ideas, and God will make you strong. You must be the person who speaks to God, for the *Israelites. Bring their quarrels to him. v20 Teach them the rules and *laws. Show them how they should live. Explain to them the things that they must do.

v21 But you must choose *wise men from all the people. They must be men who obey God. They must be good men, who will not do false things. Make these men officers over groups of the people. Some groups will be 1000 people; some groups will be 100 people. Some groups will be 50 people and some will be only 10 people. v22 Let them work as *judges for the people, every day. They can decide the small problems, but they must bring the difficult problems to you. That will make your work easier, because they will work with you. v23 If God *commands you to do this, please obey him. Then the work will not be too hard for you. You will keep your good health. And all these people will go home and they will be happy.?

v24 Then Moses listened to Jethro. And Moses did everything that he suggested.

v25 Moses chose good and *wise men from all the *Israelites. He made them leaders and officers of the people. Some were officers over 1000 people; some were officers over 100 people. Some were officers over 50 people and some were officers over 10 people. v26 They worked as *judges for the people at all times. They told Moses about the difficult problems, but they decided the easy problems without his help.

v27 Then Moses said goodbye to his wife?s father and Jethro returned to his own country.

Chapter 19

The *Israelites come to *Mount Sinai

v1 Three whole months after the *Israelites left Egypt, they came to the *Desert of Sinai. v2 After they left Rephidim, they arrived in the *Desert of Sinai. The *Israelites put up their *tents in the *desert, in front of the mountain.

v3 Then Moses went up the mountain to God. The *Lord spoke to him from the mountain. He said: ?This is what you must say to Jacob?s children and grandchildren and to the *Israelites. v4 ?You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt. You know how I carried you. I carried you like a large bird carries her young birds on her *wings. And I brought you to myself. v5 Now, obey me completely and love my promises. Then I will make you my special people that I love. I have chosen you only, from all the people in other countries. The whole world is mine, v6 but you will all become my *priests. You will become a special family to me, a family that I can love.? These are the words that you must speak to the *Israelites.?

v7 So Moses returned and he brought together all the leaders of the *Israelites. He repeated to them all the words that the *Lord had *commanded him. v8 The people all replied together. They said: ?We will do everything that the *Lord has said.? Then Moses repeated their answer to the *Lord.

v9 The *Lord said to Moses: ?I will come to you in a thick cloud. Then the people will hear me speak to you. And they will always believe everything that you say.? Then Moses told the *Lord the words that the people had said.

v10 And the *Lord said to Moses: ?Go to the people. Make them ready to meet with me. Today and tomorrow they must wash their clothes. v11 They must be ready on the third day. On that day, the *Lord will come down on *Mount Sinai. And all the people will see him. v12 Do not let the people come too near to the mountain. Say to them: ?Be careful! Do not go up the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain must die. v13 You must throw stones at him until he dies. Or you must shoot at him with *arrows. Nobody must touch him. You must not let him live, whether he is a man or an animal. The people must wait until they hear a loud sound of music. Then they can go up to the mountain.? ?

v14 Then Moses came down from the mountain. He *commanded the people to make themselves ready for God. And the people washed their clothes. v15 Then Moses said to them: ?Prepare yourselves for the third day. Do not have sex with anyone.?

v16 On the morning of the third day, there was a great storm. The people heard loud noises and they saw bright lights. A dark cloud was there over the mountain and the people heard very loud music. They were so afraid that their bodies were *shaking.

v17 Then Moses led the people out to meet with God. And they stood at the edge of the mountain. v18 Smoke covered *Mount Sinai because the *Lord came down on the mountain, like a fire. The smoke rose up from the mountain, like smoke from a great fire. The whole mountain moved about, v19 and the sound of the music became louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

v20 The *Lord came down to the top of *Mount Sinai. Then he told Moses that he must come to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up the mountain v21 and the *Lord spoke to him. He said: ?Go down to the people. Tell them that they must stay away from the mountain. They must not try to see the *Lord. If they do, they will die. v22 Even the *priests, who come near to the *Lord, must make themselves ready for God. If they do not obey this word, the *Lord will be very angry with them.?

v23 Moses said to the *Lord: ?The people cannot come up *Mount Sinai. You yourself told us that we must put things round the mountain. You told us that we must make the mountain special. You told us that we must stay away from the edge of the mountain.?

v24 The *Lord replied: ?Go down. Bring Aaron up with you. But the *priests and the people must obey my *command. They must not try to come up to the *Lord. If they did, the *Lord would be very angry with them.?

v25 So Moses went down to the people and he repeated these words to them.

Chapter 20

The 10 *commandments

v1 Then God spoke all these words:

v2 ?I am the *Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt, out of the country where you were slaves.

v3 You must not have any other gods except me.

v4 You must not make any false god for yourself. Do not make a false god in the shape of anything in the sky. Do not make one in the shape of anything on the earth or in the water. v5 You must not bend down your head to a false god, nor *worship it. I, the *Lord your God, will be angry if you do not remember me. I will *punish the children for the bad things that their fathers do. I will even *punish the grandchildren and their children. I will do this to those who hate me. v6 But I will love thousands of people who love me. These are the people who obey my *commandments.

v7 You must not use the name of the *Lord your God in a wrong way. The *Lord will be angry with anyone who uses his name in a wrong way.

v8 Remember the *Sabbath day and keep it as a special day. v9 You must do all your work for six days. v10 But the seventh day is a *Sabbath to the *Lord your God. You must not do any work on that day. Your son and your daughter must not work on that day. Your male servant and your female servant must not work on that day. The stranger who lives among you and even your animals must not work on that day. v11 In six days, the *Lord made the sky, the earth and the sea. He also made everything that is in them. But on the seventh day, the *Lord rested. And he *blessed the seventh day and he made it special.

v12 Always be very kind to your father and your mother. Then you will live for many years in the country that the *Lord will give to you.

v13 You must not *murder anyone.

v14 You must not have sex with another person?s husband or wife.

v15 You must not take another person?s things for yourself.

v16 You must not say false things about your *neighbour.

v17 You must not want to take your *neighbour?s house, or his wife, or his servants. You must not want to take his cow, or his *donkey, or anything that your *neighbour has.?

v18 The people saw the very bright light and they heard the loud noises. They heard the loud music and they saw the smoke on the mountain. They were so afraid that they could not stop their bodies moving. They would not come near. v19 They said to Moses: ?Speak to us yourself. We will listen to you. But do not let God speak to us. If he does, we will die.?

v20 Moses said to the people: ?Do not be afraid. God has only come to *test you. He wants you to love him. He wants you to obey him. Then you will not want to do bad things.?

v21 So the people stayed away from the mountain. But Moses walked toward the thick, dark cloud, where God was.

v22 Then the *Lord said to Moses: ?Tell the *Israelites this: ?You yourselves have heard me speak to you from *heaven. v23 Do not make any gods to be equal to me. Do not make for yourselves gods out of *silver or out of gold. v24 Make a table out of earth for me. Burn your dead animals upon it and also your other gifts to me. I will cause people in many places to love my name. And in those places, I will come to you and I will make you happy. v25 You can make a table of stone for me also. But do not build it with stones that you have cut. If you use tools on the stones, the table will not be clean for God.

v26 Do not climb up to my table on anything, because someone may see parts of your body.?

Chapter 21

*Israelite slaves

v1 These are the *laws that you must put in front of the *Israelites:

v2 If you buy an *Israelite slave, he must work for you for six years. But in the seventh year he is a free man. He can leave you. He does not have to pay you any money. v3 If he came to you alone, he is free to leave alone. If he came with a wife, she can leave with him. v4 But if his master gives him a wife, she is her master?s slave. And if she has had children, they are also her master?s slaves. Only the husband can leave the master.

v5 But perhaps the slave may say: ?I love my master, my wife and my children. I will not go away like a free man!? v6 Then his master must take him in front of the *judges. He must lead him to the door, or to the edge of the door. There the master must push the sharp point of a tool through the slave?s ear. Then he will always be his master?s slave.

v7 Perhaps a man may sell his daughter as a slave. She is not free to leave her master, as the male slaves are, after six years. Her master has chosen her for himself. v8 If he does not like her, he must let someone from her family buy her from him. He cannot sell her to a foreign person. He has not done what he promised to her. v9 If the man chooses the girl to be his son?s wife, she must become like his daughter.

v10 If the man marries another woman, he must not forget the first woman. He must continue to give her food and clothes. He must be kind to her because she is still his wife. v11 If he does not do these three things, she can leave him. She does not have to pay him any money.

When people attack other people

v12 Perhaps a person will hit another person and kill him. This is murder. The person who does it must die. v13 But perhaps he did not want to do it, but God let it happen. Then the man must run away to a place that I will show him. v14 But a man may decide to kill another man. Then you must take him away from my table and you must kill him.

v15 You must kill anyone who attacks his father or his mother.

v16 You must kill anyone who *steals another person. He might sell him or keep him.

You must kill the bad man when you catch him.

v17 You must kill anyone who *curses his father or his mother.

v18 Perhaps two men may quarrel. One man hits the other man with a stone or with his fist.

The second man does not die but he has to stay in bed. v19 Then he gets up and walks about outside, with his stick. Then nobody will *judge the first man. But he must pay the man whom he hurt. This man cannot work until he is completely well again.

v20 Perhaps a man may hit his male or female slave with a stick. If the slave dies because of this, you must *punish the man. v21 But if the slave becomes well again after one or two days, do not *punish the man. The slave is his own.

v22 When two men fight together, perhaps one man may hit a woman. That woman may be with child. Then she gives birth to her child before the right time. If the cruel man has not hurt the child, he must pay money to her husband. He must pay the amount of money that the husband asks. A *judge must agree that the amount is fair. v23 But if the man has hurt the child, you must take a life for a life. v24 You must take an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. You must take a hand for a hand or a foot for a foot. v25 You must take a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.?

v26 ?If a man hits the eye of a male or female slave, he may destroy the eye. Then he must let the slave go away free because of his bad eye. v27 Perhaps a man may knock out the tooth of a male or female slave. Then he must let the slave go away free, because of his lost tooth.

v28 Perhaps a male cow may attack a person and kill him. Then you must throw stones at the male cow until it dies. You must not eat the meat from that male cow. But do not *punish the master of the male cow. v29 But perhaps that male cow has attacked people before. Perhaps someone has told his master about this, but the man has not listened. He has not kept the male cow in a safe place and the animal has killed a person. Then you must throw stones at the animal but you must also kill his master. v30 But if the dead person?s family demands money, the man can give money instead of his life. v31 This *law is true if the male cow attacks a son or a daughter. v32 If it attacks a male or female slave, the animal?s master must pay 30 *silver coins. He must give it to the slave?s master and he must kill the animal.

v33 If a man finds a hole, he must cover it. If he digs a hole, he must cover it. If he does not do this, a cow or a *donkey may fall into it. v34 Then the man who dug the hole must pay for the loss of the animal. He must pay money to the animal?s master but he can keep the dead animal for himself.

v35 If one man?s male cow attacks another man?s male cow, it may die. Then they must sell the animal that is alive. Each man can have half of the money and half of the dead animal. v36 But perhaps that male cow has attacked another animal before. Someone has told the animal?s master about this, but he has not listened. He has not kept the animal in a safe place. So he must pay the other man for the loss of his animal. But he can keep the dead animal for himself.

Chapter 22

When a man takes something that is not his own

v1 Perhaps a bad man may take a cow or a sheep. He may kill it or he may sell it. Then he must pay the animal?s master. He must pay five cows for the one cow that he took. And he must pay four sheep for the one sheep that he took.

v2 Perhaps someone may catch a bad man, just as he goes into another man?s house. He hits the bad man and the bad man dies. This thing is not murder, if it happens at night. But if it happens during the day, it is murder.

v3 A man who takes another man?s animal must certainly give it back. If he cannot do this, then someone must buy him as a slave. And he must give the money to the man whose animal he took.

v4 Perhaps someone will find the animal alive, in the man?s field. Then the man must give back two animals. He must do this, whether it was a cow, or a *donkey, or a sheep.

v5 A man?s animals may eat grass in his field or in his garden of *grapes. But perhaps he may let them go and eat grass in another man?s field. This is a wrong thing to do. So he must pay back to the other man the best food from his own field.

v6 Someone may light a fire in a field and it begins to burn the bushes. Then the fire becomes bigger and hotter. It burns some of the food that is growing in the field. It may even burn the whole field. Then the person who lit the fire must pay money to the farmer. He has destroyed the farmer?s food.

v7 Perhaps a man may give some *silver or other things to his *neighbour. He asks his *neighbour to keep them safe for him. But a bad man comes and he takes the things from the *neighbour?s house. If you catch the bad man, then he must pay for these things. He must pay twice the value of the things that he took. v8 But if you do not find the bad man, then take the *neighbour to the *judges. They must agree whether he has taken the other man?s things for himself.

v9 The *judges must *judge when there is a quarrel between two people about things.

They may argue about an animal or some clothes or anything that is lost. If one of them says: ?This is mine!? they must both come to the *judges. The *judges will choose which man is wrong. Then that man must pay back twice the value to his *neighbour.

v10 Perhaps a man may ask his *neighbour to keep one of his animals for him. Then someone hurts the animal or it may die. Or perhaps a bad man takes it away while nobody sees him. v11 This problem has an answer. The *neighbour can make a special promise, in front of the *Lord. He