Exodus 1:1. And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt; with Jacob, each man and his household came: 2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. 3. Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin. 4. Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5. Now all those descended from Jacob were seventy souls, and Joseph, [who] was in Egypt. 6. Now Joseph died, as well as all his brothers and all that generation. 7. The children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed and increased and became very very strong, and the land became filled with them. 8. A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know about Joseph. 9. He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we are. 10. Get ready, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they increase, and a war befall us, and they join our enemies and depart from the land." 11. So they appointed over them tax collectors to afflict them with their burdens, and they built store cities for Pharaoh, namely Pithom and Raamses. 12. But as much as they would afflict them, so did they multiply and so did they gain strength, and they were disgusted because of the children of Israel. 13. So the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel with back breaking labor. 14. And they embittered their lives with hard labor, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields, all their work that they worked with them with back breaking labor. 15. Now the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one who was named Shifrah, and the second, who was named Puah. 16. And he said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, and you see on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall put him to death, but if it is a daughter, she may live." 17. The midwives, however, feared God; so they did not do as the king of Egypt had spoken to them, but they enabled the boys to live. INK "http://www.chabad.org/parshah/rashi/text.asp?MosadTitle2=Chabad%2Eorg&AID=15559&p=2&tDate=" \t "_self" Continue to the 2nd portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 1 18. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, that you have enabled the boys to live?" 19. And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are skilled as midwives; when the midwife has not yet come to them, they have [already] given birth." 20. God benefited the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21. Now it took place when the midwives feared God, that He made houses for them. 22. And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile, and every daughter you shall allow to live." Chapter 2 1. A man of the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2. The woman conceived and bore a son, and [when] she saw him that he was good, she hid him for three months. 3. [When] she could no longer hide him, she took [for] him a reed basket, smeared it with clay and pitch, placed the child into it, and put [it] into the marsh at the Nile's edge. 4. His sister stood from afar, to know what would be done to him. 5. Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe, to the Nile, and her maidens were walking along the Nile, and she saw the basket in the midst of the marsh, and she sent her maidservant, and she took it. 6. She opened [it], and she saw him the child, and behold, he was a weeping lad, and she had compassion on him, and she said, "This is [one] of the children of the Hebrews." 7. His sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call for you a wet nurse from the Hebrew women, so that she shall nurse the child for you?" 8. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go!" So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will give [you] your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10. The child grew up, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became like her son. She named him Moses, and she said, "For I drew him from the water." Continue to the 3rd portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 2 11. Now it came to pass in those days that Moses grew up and went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man of his brothers. 12. He turned this way and that way, and he saw that there was no man; so he struck the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13. He went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarreling, and he said to the wicked one, "Why are you going to strike your friend?" 14. And he retorted, "Who made you a man, a prince, and a judge over us? Do you plan to slay me as you have slain the Egyptian?" Moses became frightened and said, "Indeed, the matter has become known!" 15. Pharaoh heard of this incident, and he sought to slay Moses; so Moses fled from before Pharaoh. He stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. 16. Now the chief of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew [water], and they filled the troughs to water their father's flocks. 17. But the shepherds came and drove them away; so Moses arose and rescued them and watered their flocks. 18. They came to their father Reuel, and he said, "Why have you come so quickly today?" 19. They replied, "An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand[s] of the shepherds, and he also drew [water] for us and watered the flocks." 20. He said to his daughters, "So where is he? Why have you left the man? Invite him, and let him eat bread." 21. Moses consented to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22. She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I was a stranger in a foreign land." 23. Now it came to pass in those many days that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed from the labor, and they cried out, and their cry ascended to God from the labor. 24. God heard their cry, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25. And God saw the children of Israel, and God knew. Continue to the 4th portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 3 1. Moses was pasturing the flocks of Jethro, his father in law, the chief of Midian, and he led the flocks after the free pastureland, and he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. 2. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the thorn bush, and behold, the thorn bush was burning with fire, but the thorn bush was not being consumed. 3. So Moses said, "Let me turn now and see this great spectacle why does the thorn bush not burn up?" 4. The Lord saw that he had turned to see, and God called to him from within the thorn bush, and He said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am!" 5. And He said, "Do not draw near here. Take your shoes off your feet, because the place upon which you stand is holy soil." 6. And He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look toward God. 7. And the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their slave drivers, for I know their pains. 8. I have descended to rescue them from the hand[s] of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land, to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites. 9. And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression that the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10. So now come, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should take the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12. And He said, "For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." 13. And Moses said to God, "Behold I come to the children of Israel, and I say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" 14. God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)," and He said, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.'" 15. And God said further to Moses, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'The Lord God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is how I should be mentioned in every generation. Continue to the 5th portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 3 16. Go and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, 'The Lord God of your forefathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "I have surely remembered you and what is being done to you in Egypt." ' 17. And I said, 'I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt, to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivvites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.' 18. And they will hearken to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, 'The Lord God of the Hebrews has happened upon us, and now, let us go for a three days' journey in the desert and offer up sacrifices to the Lord, our God.' 19. However, I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except through a mighty hand. 20. And I will stretch forth My hand and smite the Egyptians with all My miracles that I will wreak in their midst, and afterwards he will send you out. 21. And I will put this people's favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and it will come to pass that when you go, you will not go empty handed. 22. Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and from the dweller in her house silver and gold objects and garments, and you shall put [them] on your sons and on your daughters, and you shall empty out Egypt." Chapter 4 1. Moses answered and said, "Behold they will not believe me, and they will not heed my voice, but they will say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.' " 2. And the Lord said to him, "What is this in your hand?" And he said, "A staff." 3. And He said, "Cast it to the ground," and he cast it to the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it. 4. And the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch forth your hand and take hold of its tail." So Moses stretched forth his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. 5. "In order that they believe that the Lord, the God of their forefathers, has appeared to you, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." 6. And the Lord said further to him, "Now put your hand into your bosom," and he put his hand into his bosom, and he took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7. And he said, "Put your hand back into your bosom," and he put his hand back into his bosom, and [when] he took it out of his bosom, it had become again like [the rest of] his flesh. 8. "And it will come to pass, that if they do not believe you, and they do not heed the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the last sign. 9. And it will come to pass, if they do not believe either of these two signs, and they do not heed your voice, you shall take of the water of the Nile and spill it upon the dry land, and the water that you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry land." 10. Moses said to the Lord, "I beseech You, O Lord. I am not a man of words, neither from yesterday nor from the day before yesterday, nor from the time You have spoken to Your servant, for I am heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue." 11. But the Lord said to him, "Who gave man a mouth, or who makes [one] dumb or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12. So now, go! I will be with your mouth, and I will instruct you what you shall speak. " 13. But he said, "I beseech You, O Lord, send now [Your message] with whom You would send." 14. And the Lord's wrath was kindled against Moses, and He said, "Is there not Aaron your brother, the Levite? I know that he will surely speak, and behold, he is coming forth toward you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. 15. You shall speak to him, and you shall put the words into his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will instruct you [both] what you shall do. 16. And he will speak for you to the people, and it will be that he will be your speaker, and you will be his leader. 17. And you shall take this staff in your hand, with which you shall perform the signs." Continue to the 6th portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 4 18. Moses went and returned to Jether, his father in law, and he said to him, "Let me go now and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and let me see whether they are still alive." So Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." 19. The Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt, for all the people who sought your life have died." 20. So Moses took his wife and his sons, mounted them upon the donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 21. The Lord said to Moses, "When you go to return to Egypt, see all the signs that I have placed in your hand and perform them before Pharaoh, but I will strengthen his heart, and he will not send out the people. 22. And you shall say to Pharaoh, 'So said the Lord, "My firstborn son is Israel." ' 23. So I say to you, 'Send out My son so that he will worship Me, but if you refuse to send him out, behold, I am going to slay your firstborn son.' " 24. Now he was on the way, in an inn, that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25. So Zipporah took a sharp stone and severed her son's foreskin and cast it to his feet, and she said, "For you are a bridegroom of blood to me." 26. So He released him. Then she said, "A bridegroom of blood concerning the circumcision." 27. The Lord said to Aaron, "Go toward Moses, to the desert." So he went and met him on the mount of God, and he kissed him. 28. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him and all the signs that He had commanded him. 29. So Moses and Aaron went, and they assembled all the elders of the children of Israel. 30. And Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs before the eyes of the people. 31. And the people believed, and they heard that the Lord had remembered the children of Israel, and they kneeled and prostrated themselves. Continue to the 7th portion of Parshat Shemot Chapter 5 1. And afterwards, Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, "So said the Lord God of Israel, 'Send out My people, and let them sacrifice to Me in the desert.' " 2. And Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord that I should heed His voice to let Israel out? I do not know the Lord, neither will I let Israel out." 3. And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has happened upon us. Now let us go on a three day journey in the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He strike us with a plague or with the sword." 4. But the king of Egypt said to them, "Why, Moses and Aaron, do you disturb the people from their work? Go to your own labors." 5. And Pharaoh said, "Behold, now the people of the land are many, and you are stopping them from their labors." 6. So, on that day, Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7. "You shall not continue to give stubble to the people to make the bricks like yesterday and the day before yesterday. Let them go and gather stubble for themselves. 8. But the number of bricks they have been making yesterday and the day before yesterday you shall impose upon them; you shall not reduce it, for they are lax. Therefore they cry out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' 9. Let the labor fall heavy upon the men and let them work at it, and let them not talk about false matters." 10. So the taskmasters of the people and their officers came out and spoke to the people, saying, "So said Pharaoh, 'I am not giving you stubble. 11. You go take for yourselves stubble from wherever you find [it], because nothing will be reduced from your work.' " 12. So the people scattered throughout the entire land of Egypt, to gather a gleaning for stubble. 13. And the taskmasters were pressing [them], saying, "Finish your work, the requirement of each day in its day, just as when there was stubble." 14. And the officers of the children of Israel whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had appointed over them were beaten, saying, "Why have you not completed your quota to make bricks like the day before yesterday, neither yesterday nor today?" 15. So the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you do this to your servants? 16. Stubble is not given to your servants, but they tell us, 'Make bricks,' and behold, your servants are beaten, and your people are sinning." 17. But he said, "You are lax, just lax. Therefore, you say, 'Let us go, let us sacrifice to the Lord.' 18. And now, go and work, but you will not be given stubble. Nevertheless, the [same] number of bricks you must give." 19. The officers of the children of Israel saw them in distress, saying, "Do not reduce [the number] of your bricks, the requirement of each day in its day." 20. They met Moses and Aaron standing before them when they came out from Pharaoh's presence. 21. And they said to them, "May the Lord look upon you and judge, for you have brought us into foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to place a sword into their hand[s] to kill us." 22. So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord! Why have You harmed this people? Why have You sent me? 23. Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed this people, and You have not saved Your people." Chapter 6 1. And the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out, and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land."
1:1 These are the names of the sons of Israel that came into Egypt together with Jacob their father; they came in each with their whole family. 1:2 Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judas, 1:3 Issachar, Zabulon, Benjamin, 1:4 Dan and Nephthalim, Gad and Aser. 1:5 But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls [born] of Jacob were seventy-five. 1:6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 1:7 And the children of Israel increased and multiplied, and became numerous and grew exceedingly strong, and the land multiplied them. 1:8 And there arose up another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 1:9 And he said to his nation, Behold, the race of the children of Israel is a great multitude, and is stronger than we: 1:10 come then, let us deal craftily with them, lest at any time they be increased, and whensoever war shall happen to us, these also shall be added to our enemies, and having prevailed against us in war, they will depart out of the land. 1:11 And he set over them task-masters, who should afflict them in their works; and they built strong cities for Pharao, both Pitho, and Ramesses, and On, which is Heliopolis. 1:12 But as they humbled them, by so much they multiplied, and grew exceedingly strong; and the Egyptians greatly abhorred the children of Israel. 1:13 And the Egyptians tyrannised over the children of Israel by force. 1:14 And they embittered their life by hard labours, in the clay and in brick-making, and all the works in the plains, according to all the works, wherein they caused them to serve with violence. 1:15 And the king of the Egyptians spoke to the midwives of the Hebrews; the name of the one was, Sepphora; and the name of the second, Phua. 1:16 And he said, When ye do the office of midwives to the Hebrew women, and they are about to be delivered, if it be a male, kill it; but if a female, save it. 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive. 1:18 And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive? 1:19 And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children. 1:20 And God did well to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very strong. 1:21 And as the midwives feared God, they established for themselves families. 1:22 And Pharao charged all his people, saying, Whatever male [child] shall be born to the Hebrews, cast into the river; and every female, save it alive. [Exodus] 2:1 And there was a certain man of the tribe of Levi, who took to wife one of the daughters of Levi. 2:2 And she conceived, and bore a male child; and having seen that he was fair, they hid him three months. 2:3 And when they could no longer hide him, his mother took for him an ark, and besmeared it with bitumen, and cast the child into it, and put it in the ooze by the river. 2:4 And his sister was watching from a distance, to learn what would happen to him. 2:5 And the daughter of Pharao came down to the river to bathe; and her maids walked by the river's side, and having seen the ark in the ooze, she sent her maid, and took it up. 2:6 And having opened it, she sees the babe weeping in the ark: and the daughter of Pharao had compassion on it, and said, This [is one] of the Hebrew's children. 2:7 And his sister said to the daughter of Pharao, Wilt thou that I call to thee a nurse of the Hebrews, and shall she suckle the child for thee? 2:8 And the daughter of Pharao said, Go: and the young woman went, and called the mother of the child. 2:9 And the daughter of Pharao said to her, Take care of this child, and suckled it for me, and I will give thee the wages; and the woman took the child, and suckled it. 2:10 And when the boy was grown, she brought him to the daughter of Pharao, and he became her son; and she called his name, Moses, saying, I took him out of the water. 2:11 And it came to pass in that length of time, that Moses having grown, went out to his brethren the sons of Israel: and having noticed their distress, he sees an Egyptian smiting a certain Hebrew of his brethren the children of Israel. 2:12 And having looked round this way and that way, he sees no one; and he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 2:13 And having gone out the second day he sees two Hebrew men fighting; and he says to the injurer, Wherefore smitest thou thy neighbour? 2:14 And he said, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? wilt thou slay me as thou yesterday slewest the Egyptian? Then Moses was alarmed, and said, If [it be] thus, this matter has become known. 2:15 And Pharao heard this matter, and sought to slay Moses; and Moses departed from the presence of Pharao, and dwelt in the land of Madiam; and having come into the land of Madiam, he sat on the well. 2:16 And the priest of Madiam had seven daughters, feeding the flock of their father Jothor; and they came and drew water until they filled their pitchers, to water the flock of their father Jothor. 2:17 And the shepherds came, and were driving them away; and Moses rose up and rescued them, and drew water for them, and watered their sheep. 2:18 And hey came to Raguel their father; and he said to them, Why have ye come so quickly to-day? 2:19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds, and drew water for us and watered our sheep. 2:20 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? and why have ye left the man? call him therefore, that he may eat bread. 2:21 And Moses was established with the man, and he gave Sepphora his daughter to Moses to wife. 2:22 And the woman conceived and bore a son, and Moses called his name Gersam, saying, I am a sojourner in a strange land. 2:23 And in those days after a length of time, the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel groaned because of their tasks, and cried, and their cry because of their tasks went up to God. 2:24 And God heard their groanings, and God remembered his covenant made with Abraam and Isaac and Jacob. 2:25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and was made known to them. [Exodus] 3:1 And Moses was feeding the flock of Jothor his father-in-law, the priest of Madiam; and he brought the sheep nigh to the wilderness, and came to the mount of Choreb. 3:2 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire out of the bush, and he sees that the bush burns with fire,-- but the bush was not consumed. 3:3 And Moses said, I will go near and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed. 3:4 And when the Lord saw that he drew nigh to see, the Lord called him out of the bush, saying, Moses, Moses; and he said, What is it? 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 3:6 And he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraam, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and Moses turned away his face, for he was afraid to gaze at God. 3:7 And the Lord said to Moses, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that is in Egypt, and I have heard their cry [caused] by their task-masters; for I know their affliction. 3:8 And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land, and to bring them into a good and wide land, into a land flowing with milk and honey, into the place of the Chananites, and the Chettites, and Amorites, and Pherezites, and Gergesites, and Evites, and Jebusites. 3:9 And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to me, and I have seen the affliction with which the Egyptians afflict them. 3:10 And now come, I will send thee to Pharao king of Egypt, and thou shalt bring out my people the children of Israel from the land of Egypt. 3:11 And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharao king of Egypt, and that I should bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt? 3:12 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I will be with thee, and this shall be the sign to thee that I shall send thee forth,-- when thou bringest out my people out of Egypt, then ye shall serve God in this mountain. 3:13 And Moses said to God, Behold, I shall go forth to the children of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of our fathers has sent me to you; and they will ask me, What is his name? What shall I say to them? 3:14 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING; and he said, Thus shall ye say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you. 3:15 And God said again to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of our fathers, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and my memorial to generations of generations. 3:16 Go then and gather the elders of the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God of our fathers has appeared to me, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, saying, I have surely looked upon you, and upon all the things which have happened to you in Egypt. 3:17 And he said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of the Egyptians to the land of the Chananites and the Chettites, and Amorites and Pherezites, and Gergesites, and Evites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey. 3:18 And they shall harken to thy voice, and thou and the elders of Israel shall go in to Pharao king of Egypt, and thou shalt say to him, The God of the Hebrews has called us; we will go then a journey of three days into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to our God. 3:19 But I know that Pharao king of Egypt will not let you go, save with a mighty hand; 3:20 and I will stretch out my hand, and smite the Egyptians with all my wonders, which I shall work among them, and after that he will send you forth. 3:21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, and whenever ye shall escape, ye shall not depart empty. 3:22 But [every] woman shall ask of her neighbour and fellow lodger, articles of gold and silver, and apparel; and ye shall put them upon your sons and upon your daughters,-- and spoil ye the Egyptians. [Exodus] 4:1 And Moses answered and said, If they believe me not, and do not hearken to my voice (for they will say, God has not appeared to thee), what shall I say to them? 4:2 And the Lord said to him, What is this thing that is in thine hand? and he said, A rod. 4:3 And he said, Cast it on the ground: and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it. 4:4 And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch forth thine hand, and take hold of its tail: so he stretched forth his hand and took hold of the tail, 4:5 and it became a rod in his hand,-- that they may believe thee, that the God of thy fathers has appeared to thee, the God of Abraam, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob. 4:6 And the Lord said again to him, Put thine hand into thy bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom, and brought his hand out of his bosom, and his hand became as snow. 4:7 And he said again, Put thy hand into thy bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom, and brought his hand out of his bosom, and it was again restored to the complexion of his [other] flesh. 4:8 And if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, they will believe thee [because] of the voice of the second sign. 4:9 And it shall come o pass if they will not believe thee for these two signs, and will not hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land, and the water which thou shalt take from the river shall be blood upon the dry land. 4:10 And Moses said to the Lord, I pray, Lord, I have not been sufficient in former times, neither from the time that thou hast begun to speak to thy servant: I am weak in speech, and slow-tongued. 4:11 And the Lord said to Moses, Who has given a mouth to man, and who has made the very hard of hearing, and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? have not I, God? 4:12 And now go and I will open thy mouth, and will instruct thee in what thou shalt say. 4:13 And Moses said, I pray thee, Lord, appoint another able [person] whom thou shalt send. 4:14 And the Lord was greatly angered against Moses, and said, Lo! is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he will surely speak to thee; and, behold, he will come forth to meet thee, and beholding thee he will rejoice within himself. 4:15 And thou shalt speak to him; and thou shalt put my words into his mouth, and I will open thy mouth and his mouth, and I will instruct you in what ye shall do. 4:16 And he shall speak for thee to the people, and he shall be thy mouth, and thou shalt be for him in things pertaining to God. 4:17 And this rod that was turned into a serpent thou shalt take in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt work miracles. 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jothor his father-in-law, and says, I will go and return to my brethren in Egypt, and will see if they are yet living. And Jothor said to Moses, Go in health. And in those days after some time, the king of Egypt died. 4:19 And the Lord said to Moses in Madiam, Go, depart into Egypt, for all that sought thy life are dead. 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his children, and mounted them on the beasts, and returned to Egypt; and Moses took the rod [which he had] from God in his hand. 4:21 And the Lord said to Moses, When thou goest and returnest to Egypt, see-- all the miracles I have charged thee with, thou shalt work before Pharao: and I will harden his heart, and he shall certainly not send away the people. 4:22 And thou shalt say to Pharao, These things saith the Lord, Israel [is] my first-born. 4:23 And I said to thee, Send away my people, that they may serve me: now if thou wilt not send them away, see, I will slay thy fir-born son. 4:24 And it came to pass [that] the angel of the Lord met him by the way in the inn, and sought to slay him. 4:25 and Sepphora having taken a stone cut off the foreskin of her son, and fell at his feet and said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched: 4:26 and he departed from him, because she said, The blood of the circumcision of my son is staunched. 4:27 And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses; and he went and met him in the mount of God, and they kissed each other. 4:28 And Moses reported to Aaron all the words of the Lord, which he sent, and all the things which he charged him. 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered the elders of the children of Israel. 4:30 And Aaron spoke all these words, which God spoke to Moses, and wrought the miracles before the people. 4:31 and the people believed and rejoiced, because God visited the children of Israel, and because he saw their affliction: and the people bowed and worshiped. [Exodus] 5:1 And after this went in Moses and Aaron to Pharao, and they said to him, These things says the Lord God of Israel, Send my people away, that they may keep a feast to me in the wilderness. 5:2 And Pharao said, Who is he that I should hearken to his voice, so that I should send away the children of Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go. 5:3 And they say to him, The God of the Hebrews has called us to him: we will go therefore a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest at any time death or slaughter happen to us. 5:4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, turn the people from their works? depart each of you to your works. 5:5 And Pharao said, Behold now, the people is very numerous; let us not then give them rest from their work. 5:6 And Pharao gave orders to the task-masters of the people and the accountants, saying, 5:7 Ye shall no longer give straw to the people for brick-making as yesterday and the third day; but let them go themselves, and collect straw for themselves. 5:8 And thou shalt impose on them daily the rate of brick-making which they perform: thou shalt not abate anything, for they are idle; therefore have they cried, saying, Let us arise and do sacrifice to our God. 5:9 Let the works of these men be made grievous, and let them care for these things, and not care for vain words. 5:10 And the taskmasters and the accountants hastened them, and they spoke to the people, saying, thus says Pharao, I [will] give you straw no longer. 5:11 Go ye, yourselves, get for yourselves straw whencesoever ye can find it, for nothing is diminished from your rate. 5:12 So the people were dispersed in all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw. 5:13 and the taskmasters hastened them, saying, Fulfil your regular daily tasks, even as when straw was given you. 5:14 And the accountants of the race of the children of Israel, who were set over them by the masters of Pharao, were scourged, [[and questioned,]] [men] saying, Why have ye not fulfilled your rates of brick-work as yesterday and the third day, to-day also? 5:15 And the accountants of the children of Israel went in and cried to Pharao, saying, Why dost thou act thus to thy servants? 5:16 Straw is not given to thy servants, and they tell us to make brick; and behold thy servants have been scourged: thou wilt therefore injure thy people. 5:17 And he said to them, Ye are idle, ye are idlers: therefore ye say, Let us go [and] do sacrifice to our God. 5:18 Now then go and work, for straw shall not be given to you, yet ye shall return the rate of bricks. 5:19 And the accountants of the children of Israel saw themselves in an evil light, [men] saying, Ye shall not fail to deliver the daily rate of the brick-making. 5:20 And they met Moses and Aaron coming forth to meet them, as they came forth from Pharao. 5:21 And they said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge you, for ye have made our savour abominable before Pharao, and before his servants, to put a sword into his hands to slay us. 5:22 And Moses turned to the Lord, and said, I pray, Lord, why hast thou afflicted this people? and wherefore hast thou sent me? 5:23 For from the time that I went to Pharao to speak in thy name, he has afflicted this people, and thou hast not delivered thy people. [Exodus] 6:1 And the Lord said to Moses, Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharao; for he shall send them forth with a mighty hand, and with a high arm shall he cast them out of his land.
[In the Pentateuch the first chapter of Exodus begins the Thirteenth Section of the Law with the initial SHEMOTH, or Names.] I. AND these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Mizraim with Jakob; (each) man with the men of his house they came in: Reuben, Shimeon, Levi and Jehudah, Issakar, Zebulon and Benyamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. And all the souls that came forth from the thigh of Jakob were seventy souls, with Joseph who was in Mizraim. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation; but the sons of Israel increased and propagated, and became great and very mighty, and the land was filled with them. But a new king arose over Mizraim who did not hold valid (or confirm) the decree of Joseph. And he said to his people, Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more numerous and stronger than we: come, let us deal wisely by them, lest they multiply, and it be that should war happen to us they join themselves with our enemies, and break forth in the war against us, and go up from the land. And they appointed over them evildoing governors (shiltonin) to afflict them in their labours. And they builded cities of treasure houses for Pharoh, Pithom, and Raamsas. But by as much as they afflicted them, so they increased and waxed strong, and the Mizraee had vexation on account of the sons of Israel; and the Mizraee made the sons of Israel serve with rigour, and embittered their lives with hard labour, in clay and in brick, and in all labour of the field, -all the work which they wrought, they made them do with hardship. And the king of Mizraim spake to the midwives of Jewesses, (Yehuditha,) of whom the name of the one was Shiphra, and the name of the second Puvah; and he said, When you do the office of the midwife among the Jewish women, and you look upon the childbirth, if it be a son, you shall kill him; but if a daughter, let her live. But the midwives feared before the Lord, and did not act as the king of Mizraim had bidden them, but preserved the sons alive. And the king of Mizraim called the midwives said to Pharoh, It is because the Jewesses are unlike the Mizraite women; they are cunning, and give birth before the midwives come to them. And the Lord did good to the midwives; and the people multiplied and became strong. And because the midwives feared before the Lord He made for them houses. But Pharoh commanded all his people, saying, Every son who is born to the Jews you shall throw into the river, and every daughter you shall keep alive. II. And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi (to wife). And the woman conceived, and bare a son; and she saw that he was good, and concealed him three months. But not being able to hide him longer, she took an ark of reed, and covered it with bitumen and pitch, and laid the child within it, and set it in the river upon the brink of the stream.[1] And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to know what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharoh came down to wash at the river, and her damsels walked on the riverÕs bank; and she saw the ark in the flood,[2] and reached out her arm and took it. And opening, she saw the child; and, behold, the infant wept. And she had compassion on him and said, This is one of the children of the Jehudaee. Then spake his sister to the daughter of Pharoh, Shall I go and call a nurse-woman of the Jehudaee who will suckle the child for thee? And the daughter of Pharoh said to her, Go; and the maiden went, and called the childÕs mother. And PharohÕs daughter said to her, Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give thee they recompense. And the woman took the child and suckled him. And the child grew, and she brought him to PharohÕs daughter, and he became to her a son, and she called his name Mosheh, saying, Because I drew him out from the water. And it was in those days when Mosheh had grown that he went out to his brethren and beheld their servitude. And he saw a Mizraite man smite a man, a Jehudai, (one) of his brethren. And he turned this way and that, and saw that there was no man; and smote the Mizraite, and buried him in the sand. And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men, Jehudaeen contended. And he said to the guilty one, Why did you strike your companion? But he said, Who set you a chief man and judge over us? Will you who speak so kill me, as you killed the Mizraya? And Mosheh was afraid, and said, Surely the thing is known. And Pharoh heard that thing, and sought to kill Mosheh; and Mosheh fled from before Pharoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by a well; and the prince (rabba) of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew and filled the troughs to water their fatherÕs flock. But the shepherds came and drave them away; and Mosheh arose and rescued them, and watered the flock. And they came to Reuel their father; and he said, What is this, that ye have come so quickly to-day? And they said, A man, a Mizraya, delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and also drew for us and watered the flock. And he said to his daughters, And where is he? wherefore have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. And Mosheh was willing to dwell with the man; and he gave Zipporah his daughter unto Mosheh. And she bare a son; and he called his name Gershom; for, said he, I am a stranger in a foreign land. And it was in many of those days: and the king of Mizraim died. And the sons of Israel groaned with the hard service which was upon them; and the cry rose up before the presence of the Lord, form their labour. And their appeal was heard before the Lord; and the Lord remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Izhak, and with Jakob. And the servitude of the sons of Israel was know before the Lord, and the Lord said in His Word, that He would deliver them. III. And Mosheh tended the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the rabba of Midian, and he led the flock to the place of the best pastures of the wilderness, and came to the mountain on which was revealed the glory of the Lord, unto Horeb. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. And he gazed, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Mosheh said, I will now turn and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned up. And the Lord saw that he turned to see, and the Lord called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, Mosheh, Mosheh! And he said, Behold me. And He said, Approach not hither;[3] loose the sandal from thy foot, for the place where thou standest is holy. And He said, I am the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob. And Mosheh bowed with his face; for he was afraid to look up to the glory of the Lord. And the Lord said, The bondage of My people who is in Mizraim is verily disclosed before Me, and before Me is heard their cry on account of their toils;[4] for their afflictions are disclosed before me; and I have appeared to deliver them from the hand of the Mizraee, and to bring them up from that land, unto a land good and large, a land producing milk and honey, unto the place of the Kenaanaee, an the Hittaee, and the Amoraee, and the Perizaee, and the Hivaee, and the Yevusaee. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel ascendeth before Me, and the affliction is also revealed before Me wherewith the Mizraee afflict them. And now, come, I will send thee to Pharoh, and will bring forth the sons of Israel form Mizraim. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharoh to bring forth the sons of Israel from Mizraim? And He said, Because My Word shall be thy helper: and this shall be the sign that I have sent thee: In thy leading forth of the people from Mizraim you shall do service before the Lord upon this mountain. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, when I am come to the sons of Israel, and say to them, The God of your fathers hath sent me to you, and they say to me, What is His name? what shall I say to them? And the Lord said unto Mosheh, EHEYEH ASHER EHEYEH. And he said, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, EHEYEH hath sent me unto you. The Lord said moreover to Mosheh, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob, hath sent me unto you. This is My Name for ever, and this is My Memorial in every generation and generation. Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers, hath revealed Himself to me, the God of Abraham, Izhak, and Jakob, saying, Remembering I have remembered you, and that which hath been done to you in Mizraim; and I have said that I would bring you up from the bondage of Mizraim to the land of the Kenaanaee, and Hittaee, and Emoraee, and the Pherizaee, and Hivaee, and Jebusaee, -to a land producing milk and honey. And they will be obedient to thee,[5] and thou shalt go, thou and the elders of Israel, to the king of Mizraim, and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Jehudaee, hath called us;[6] and now let us go, as (for) a journey of three days into the desert, that we may sacrifice before the Lord our God. But it is manifest before Me that the king of Mizraim will not release you, that you may go, not even on account of Him whose power is mighty. But I will send forth the stroke of My power, and will smite the Mizraee with all My miracles which I will perform among them, and afterward they will send you away. And I will give this people to become favourites in the eyes of the Mizraee, and it shall be that when you go you shall not go empty. But you shall demand, a woman of her neighbour and the inmates of her house, articles of silve and of gold and vestments, and put them upon you sons and upon your daughters, and shall make the Mizraee empty.[7] IV. And Mosheh answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me nor hearken to me: for they will say, The Lord hath no been revealed to thee. And the Lord said to him, What is that which is in thy hand? and he said, A rod. And He said, Cast it to the ground; and he cast it upon the ground, and it became a serpent, and Mosheh fled from before it. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Stretch forth thy hand and seize it by its tail; and he put forth his hand and grasped it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord god of their fathers hath been revealed to thee, that God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob. And the Lord said yet to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom, and drew it out; and, behold, his hand was white as snow. And He said, Return thy hand into thy bosom. And he returned his hand into his bosom, and drew it out form his bosom, and, behold, it had turned to be as his own flesh. And it shall be, if they will not believe thee nor receive the voice of the first sign, that they shall believe the voice of the latter sign. But if they will not believe either of these two signs, nor receive from thee, take of the water that is in the river, and pour it upon the ground; and the water which thou takest form the river shall become blood upon the gorund. And Mosheh said before the Lord, In entreating, I am not a man who is (well) spoken, neither yesterday nor the day before, and from the time that thou spakest with Thy servant: for I am heavy of speech and of a deep[8] tongue. But the Lord said to him, Who hath appointed the mouth of man, and who hath appointed the mute, or the deaf, or the open-sighted, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? And now go, and My Word shall be with thy mouth, and I will teach thee what to say. And he said, I beseech the Lord to send by the hand of one who is fit to be sent. And the displeasure of the Lord was kindled against Mosheh; and He said, Is not Aharon the Levite, thy brother, known before Me as one who speaking can speak? and also, behold, he cometh forth to anticipate thee, and will see thee, and rejoice in his heart. And thou shalt speak with him, and put the words in his mouth; and My Word will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what to do. And he shall speak for thee with the people, and shall be thy interpreter, and thou shalt be to him a rab; and this staff thou shalt take in thy hand wherewith to work the signs. And Mosheh went, and returned to Jether his father-in-law, and said to him, I will now go and return to my brethren who are in Mizraim, and see if they still live. And Jether said to Mosheh, Go in peace. And the Lord said to Mosheh in Midian, Go, return to Mizraim; for all the men who sought to kill thee are dead. And Mosheh took his wife and his sons, and made them ride upon the ass, and returned to the land of Mizraim. And Mosheh took the staff with which the miracles had been done before the Lord in his hand. And the Lord said to Mosheh, In thy going to return to Mizraim look to all the wonders that I have appointed by thy hand, and do them before the Pharoh. But I will obdurate his heart, and he will not send the people away. And thou shalt say unto Pharoh, Thus said the Lord; Israel is My son, My firstborn. And I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve before Me; and if thou refuse to send him away, behold, I will kill thy son, thy firstborn. And it was in the way, at the place of lodging, that the Angel of the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. And Zipporah took a stone, and circumcised the foreskin of her son, and approached before him, and said, On account of the blood of this circumcision let my husband be given (back) to me. And when he had desisted from him, she said, But for the blood of this circumcision my husband would have been condemned to die. And the Lord said to Aharon, Go thou to meet Mosheh in the desert. And he went, and met him at the mountain on which was revealed the glory of the Lord, and he kissed him. And Mosheh showed Aharon all the words with which the Lord had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded. And Mosheh and Aharon went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; and Aharon told all the words which the Lord had spoken with Mosheh, and did the signs in the eyes of the people. And the people believed, and understood (heard) that the Lord had remembered the sons of Israel, and that heir slavery was manifest before him; and they bowed, and adored. V. And afterward Mosheh and Aharon went in, and said to Pharoh: Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Let My people go, to solemnize a feast (yechagun) before Me in the desert. And Pharoh said, The name of the Lord is not know to me, that I should hearken to His word to send Israel away. The name of the Lord is not revealed to me, and Israel I shall not release. And they said, The God of the Jehudaee hath revealed Himself to us; let us now go three daysÕ journey into the desert to sacrifice before the Lord our God, lest He come upon us with death or with slaughter. And the king of Mizraim said to them, Why, Mosheh and Aharon, do you hinder the people from their works? Go to your employment. And Pharoh said, Behold now, the people of the land are many, and you make them relax from their employment. And Pharoh that day commanded the masters[9] of the people and the overseers,[10] saying, You shall not continue (add) to give straw to the people to cast bricks, as heretofore; let them go and collect straw for themselves; yet the number[11] of bricks which they have made heretofore you shall still lay upon them and not diminish; for they are idle, and therefore cry, saying, We will go and sacrifice before our God. Make labour heavy upon the men: let them be occupied with it, and not with vain words. And the masters of the people and the overseers went forth and spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharoh, I will not give you straw; you shall go and gather up straw for yourselves wheresoever you can find it; though from you work there shall be mother diminished. And the people were scattered abroad over all the country of Mizraim to gather stubble for straw. And the masters were urgent, saying, Fulfil your work, the matter of a day in a day, as you did when straw was given to you. And the masters whom Pharoh set over the sons of Israel smote them, saying, Why do you not fulfil your requirement to cast bricks as heretofore, as yesterday, so also to-day? And the overseers of the sons of Israel came and complained before Pharoh, saying, Why hast thou done thus with thy servants? Thou hast not given thy servants straw, yet they say to us, Make bricks; and, behold, thy servants are beaten, and thy people sin against us. But he said, You are idle: therefore you say, We will go and sacrifice before the Lord. And now go, work: but straw I will not give you; yet the number of bricks you shall render. And the overseers of the sons of Israel perceived that they were in evil: for they said to them, You shall not diminish form your bricks the matter of a day, in a day. And they met Mosheh and Aharon standing before them in their coming out from being with Pharoh. And they said to them, May the Lord manifest Himself to you and adjudge;[12] because you have made our savour evil in the eyes of Pharoh, and in the eyes of his servants, and have put a sword into their hands to kill us! An Mosheh returned before the Lord and said, O Lord, why hast Thou done evil unto this people, and wherefore didst Thou send me? and from the time that I went in to Pharoh to speak in Thy name he hath done evil to this people, but liberating Thou hast not liberated Thy people. VI. But the Lord said to Mosheh, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharoh: for with a strong hand shall he send them away, and with a strong hand drive them from his land.
I. AND these are the names of the sons of Israel who went into Mizraim with Jakob, each with the men of his house entered in: Reuben, Shimeon, Levi, and Jehudah; Issakar, Zebulon, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. And the number of all the souls coming from the thigh of Jakob, seventy souls, with Joseph and his sons, who were in Mizraim. And Joseph died, and after him died all his brethren, and all that generation. And the souls of Israel increased, and multiplied children, and became strong, and prevailed greatly, and the land was filled with them. And there arose a new king (other) than he who was formerly over Mizraim, who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws. [JERUSALEM TARGUM. And a king arose (different from him who was) formerly over Mizraim, who took no knowledge of Joseph, and walked not in his laws.] And he said to his people, Behold now, the people of the house of Israel are many, and are stronger than we. Come, let us take counsel against them in these matters, to diminish them that they multiply not, so as that, should war be arrayed against us, they be not added to our adversaries, and destroy us that not one of us be left, and they afterward go forth from the land. [JERUSALEM. And they kill us, and go up in peace from the land.] And they set over them work-masters to afflict them in their servitude; and they builded walled cities to become Pharoh's treasure-places, Tanis and Pilusin. [JERUSALEM. Tanis and Pilusin.] But as much as they depressed them, so much they multiplied, and so much they prevailed, and the Mizraee were troubled in their lives before the sons of Israel. And the Mizraee enslaved the sons of Israel, and made their lives bitter by hard service in clay and bricks, and all the labour of the face of the field; and in all the work which they made them do was hardness. And Pharoh told that he, being asleep, had seen in his dream, and, behold, all the land of Mizraim was placed in one scale of a balance, and a lamb, the young of a sheep, was ill the other scale; and the scale with the lamb in it overweighed. Forthwith he sent and called all the magicians of Mizraim, and imparted to them his dream. Immediately Jannis and Jambres, the chief of the magicians, opened their mouth and answered Pharoh,?A certain child is about to be born in the congregation of Israel, by whose hand will be destruc-tion to all the land of Mizraim. Therefore did Pharoh, king of Mizraim, give counsel to the Jehudith midwives, the name of one of whom was Shifra, who is Jokeved, and the name of the other Puvah, who is Miriam her daughter. [JERUSALEM. And the king of Mizraim told the Hebrew midwives, the name of the first of whom was Shifra, and she was Jokeved, and the name of the second Puvah, she was Miriam.] And he said, When you attend Jehudith women, and see them bear, if it be a male child, you shall kill him; but if a daughter, you may let her live. But the midwives feared before the Lord, and would not do according to what the king of Mizraim had said to them, but they saved the children. And the king of Mizraim called the midwives, and said to them, Why have you done this thing, and have saved the children ? And the mid-wives said to Pharoh, The Jehudith women are not as the Mizraite, for they are sturdy (or, courageous) and wise-minded: before the midwife cometh to them they lift up their eyes in prayer, supplicating mercy before their Father who is in heaven, who heareth the voice of their prayer, and at once they are heard, and bring forth, and are delivered in peace. [JERUSALEM. Because they are vivacious, and before the midwife cometh to them they pray before their Father who is in heaven, and He answereth them, and they bring forth.] And the Lord did good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and prevailed greatly. And forasmuch as the midwives feared before the Lord, they obtained for themselves a good name unto the ages; and the Word of the Lord up-builded for them a royal house, even the house of the high priesthood. [JERUSALEM.. Because the midwives feared before the Lord, they obtained for themselves a good name in the midst of the ages, and made unto themselves houses,?the house of the Levites and the house of the high priesthood.] But when Pharoh saw this, he commanded all his people, saying, Every male child that is born to the Jehudaee you shall cast into the river; but every daughter you may spare.II. And Amram, a man of the tribe of Levi, went and returned to live in marriage with Jokeved his wife, whom he had put away on account of the decree of Pharoh. [JERUSALEM. And there went a man of the tribe of Levi and took Jokeved, who was beloved of him, (or, who was related to him,) to wife.] And she was the daughter of a hundred and thirty years when he returned to her; but a miracle was wrought in her, and she returned unto youth as she was, when in her minority she was called the daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bare a son at the end of six months; and she saw him to be a child of steadfastness, (or, of steadfast life,) and hid him three months, which made the number nine. But she could conceal him no longer, for the Mizraee had become aware of him. And she took an ark of papyrus, (tunes,) and coated it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the child within it, and laid him among the reeds on the bank of the river. And Miriam his sister stood at a distance to take knowledge of what would be done to him. And the Word of the Lord sent forth a burning sore and inflammation of the flesh upon the land of Mizraim; and the daughter of Pharoh came down to refresh herself at the river. And her handmaids, walking upon the bank of the river, saw the ark among the reeds, and put forth the arm and took it, and were immediately healed of the burning and inflammation. And she opened, and saw the child, and, behold, the babe wept; and she had compassion upon him, and said, This is one of the children of the Jehudaee. And his sister said to Pharoh's daughter, May I go and call for thee a nursing woman from the Jehudesses, to suckle the babe for thee ? And Pharoh's daughter said, Go; and the damsel went and called the child's mother. And the daughter of Pharoh said, Take this child and suckle it for me, and I will give thee thy wages And the woman took the child and suckled him. And the child grew, and was brought to Pharoh's daughter, and he was beloved by her as a son; and she called his name Mosheh, Because, said she, I drew him out of the water of the river. [JERUSALEM. I uplifted him.] And in those days when Mosheh was grown up, he went forth to his brethren, and saw the anguish of their souls, and the greatness of their toil. And he saw a Mizraite man strike a Jewish man of his brethren; and Mosheh turned, and considered in the wisdom of his mind, and understood that in no generation would there arise a proselyte from that Mizraite man, and that none of his children's children would ever be con-verted; and he smote the Mizraite, and buried him in the sand. [JERUSALEM. And Mosheh, by the Holy Spirit, considering both the young, men, saw that, behold, no proselyte would ever spring from that Mizraite; and he killed him, and hid him in the sand.] And he went out the second day, and looked; and, behold, Dathan and Abiram, men of the Jehudaee contended; and seeing Dathan put forth his hand against Abiram to smite him, he said to him, Wherefore dost thou smite thy companion ? And Dathan said to him, Who is he who hath appointed thee a chief man and a judge over us ? Wilt thou kill me, said he, as thou didst the Mizraite ? And Mosheh was afraid, and said, Verily, the thing has become known. And Pharoh heard this thing, and sought to kill Mosheh; and Mosheh escaped before Pharoh, to dwell in the land of Midian. And he sat by a well. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew, and filled the watering-troughs, to give drink to the flocks of their father. But the shepherds came and drave them away. And Mosheh arose in the power of his might, and rescued them, and gave the flocks drink. And they came to Reuel, their grandfather, who said to them, How is it that you are come (so) early to-day? And they replied, A Mizraite man not only delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, but also himself drawing drew and watered the flock. And he said to his son's daughters, And where is he ? Why did you leave the man ? Call him, and let him eat bread. But when Reuel knew that Mosheh had fled from before Pharoh he cast him into a pit; but Zipporah, the daughter of his son, maintained him with food, secretly, for the time of ten years; and at the end of ten years brought him out of the pit. And Mosheh went into the bedchamber of Reuel, and gave thanks and prayed before the Lord, who by him would work miracles and mighty acts. And there was shown to him the Rod which was created between the evenings, and on which was engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name, with which he was to do the wonders in Mizraim, and to divide the sea of Suph, and to bring, forth water from the rock. And it was infixed in the midst of the chamber, and he stretched forth his hand at once and took it. Then, behold, Mosheh was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave Zipporah, the daughter of his son, to Mosheh. And she bare him a male child, and he called his name Gershom, Because, said he, a sojourner have I been in a strange land which is not mine. And it was after many of those days that the king of Mizraim was struck (with disease), and he commanded to kill the firstborn of the sons of Israel, that he might bathe himself in their blood. And the sons of Israel groaned with the labour that was hard upon them; and they cried, and their cry ascended to the high heavens of the Lord. And He spake in His Word to deliver them from the travail. And their cry was heard before the Lord, and before the Lord was the covenant remembered which He had covenanted with Abraham, with Izhak, and with Jakob. And the Lord looked upon the affliction of the bondage of the sons of Israel; and the repentance was revealed before Him which they exercised in concealment, so as that no man knew that of his companion.III. But Mosheh was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the rabba of Midian; and he had led the flock to a pleasant place of pasturage which is behind the desert, and had come to the mountain on which was revealed the glory of the Lord, even Horeb. And Zagnugael, the angel of the Lord, appeared to him in a fame of fire in the midst of the bush. And he gazed, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, yet the bush was neither burned nor consumed with fire. [JERUSALEM. And he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, yet remained in freshness, (or, was moist), neither was it consumed.] And Mosheh said, I will turn aside now and consider this great sight, why the bush is not burned. [JERU-SALEM. I will look at this great sight, wherefore the bush is refreshed and not burned.] And when it was seen before the Lord that he turned to look, the Lord called to him from the midst of the bush and said, Mosheh, Mosheh ! And he said, Behold me. And He said, Approach not hither, take the shoe from thy feet, for the place on which thou standest is a holy place; and upon it thou art to receive the Law, to teach it to the sons of Israel. And He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob. And Mosheh covered his face; for he was afraid to look upon the height of the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord. And He said, The oppression of My people who are in Mizraim is verily manifest before Me, and heard before Me is their cry on account of them who hold them in bondage; for their affliction is known before Me. And I have revealed Myself to thee this day, that by My Word they may be delivered from the hand of the Mizraee, to bring them up out of the unclean land, unto a good land, and large in its boundaries, a land yielding milk and honey, unto the place where dwell the Kenaanaee, and the Hittaee, and the Amoraee, and the Pherizaee, and the Hivaee, and the Jebusaee. And now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel cometh up before Me, and the bruising of the Mizraee wherewith they bruise them is also revealed before Me. And now, come, and I will send thee unto Pharoh, and thou shalt bring forth My people, the sons of Israel, out of Mizraim. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Who am I, that I should go to Pharoh, and bring forth the sons of Israel out of Mizraim? But He said, Therefore My Word shall be for thy help; and this shall be the sign to thee that I have sent thee: when thou hast, brought the people forth from Mizraim, ye shall worship before the Lord, because ye shall have received the Law upon this mountain. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, I will go to the sons of Israel, and say to them, The Lord God of your fathers hath sent me to you: and they will say to me, What is His Name ? What shall I say to them ? And the Lord said unto Mosheh, He who spake, and the world was; who spake, and all things were. And He said, This thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, I AM HE WHO IS, AND WHO WILL BE, hath sent me unto you. [JERUSALEM. And the Word of the Lord said to Mosheh, He who spake to the world, Be, and it was; and who will speak to it, Be, and it will be. And he said, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, EHEYEH hath sent me unto you.] And the Lord said again unto Mosheh, Thus shalt thou speak to the sons of Israel, The God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob, hath sent me unto you. This is His Name for ever, and this is His Memorial to every generation and generation. Go, and assemble the elders of Israel, and say to them, The Lord God of your fathers hath appeared unto me, the God of Abraham, Izhak, and Jakob, saying, Remembering, I have remembered you, and the injury that is done you in Mizraim; and I have said in My Word, I will bring you up out from the oppression of the Mizraee into the land of the Kenaanaee, and Hittaee, and Amoraee, and Pherizaee, and Hivaee, and Jebusaee, to the land that yieldeth milk and honey. And they will hearken to thee: and thou and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Mizraim and say to him, The Lord God of the Jehudaee hath called us; and now let us go a journey of three days into the wilderness, to sacrifice before the Lord our God. But it is manifest before Me that the king of Mizraim will not let you go, (no,) not from fear of Him who is Mighty, until that by My Word he shall have been punished with evil plagues. And ye will be hindered there until I have sent forth the stroke of My power, and have smitten Mizraee with all My wonders, that I will do among them; and afterward he will release you. And I will give this people grace in the eyes of the Mizraee; and it shall be that when ye go free from thence, ye shall not go empty. But a woman shall ask of her neighbour, and from those next to the wall of her house, [JERUSALEM. Fellow resident,] vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vestments; and you shall set them as crowns upon your sons and your daughters, and make the Mizraee empty.IV. And Mosheh answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to me; for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared to thee. And the Lord said to him, What is that in thy hand ? And he said, The rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground; and he cast it to the ground, and it became a serpent; and Mosheh fled from before it. [JERUSALEM. And He said, Cast it on the ground; and he cast it on the ground.] And the Lord said to Mosheh, Stretch forth thy hand and seize (it) by its tail. [JERUSALEM. And grasp the place of its tail.] And he stretched forth his hand and grasped it, and it became the rod in his hand: ?In order that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Izhak, and the God of Jakob, hath revealed Himself to thee. And the Lord said to him again, Put now thy hand within thy breast (Choba); and he put it within his breast, and withdrew it, and, behold, his hand was leprous, it was white as snow. And He said, Return thy hand into thy bosom (Aitaph); and he returned his hand to his breast, and withdrew it from his breast, and it had become clean as his flesh. [JERUSALEM. Put now thy hand into thy breast, and he put his hand within his breast. And if they believe not these two signs, nor receive from thee, thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it on the ground, and the water that thou shalt take from the river shall become blood upon the ground. And Mosheh said before the Lord, O Lord, I pray: I am not a man of words, nor ever have been before that Thou didst speak with Thy servant; for I am of a staggering mouth and staggering speech. [JERUSALEM. For of a staggering mouth and difficult speech am I.] And the Lord said, Who is he who first put the language of the mouth into the mouth of man? or who hath appointed the dumb or the deaf, the open-seeing or the blind, but I the Lord ? And now go, and I by My Word will be with the speaking of thy mouth, and will teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, I pray for mercy before the Lord. Send now Thy sending by the hand of Phinehas, by whom it is to be sent at the end of the days. [JERUSALEM. Send now by the hand of him by whom it is opportune to send.] And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Mosheh, and He said, Is it not manifest before Me that Aharon thy brother speaking can speak ? And, behold, also, he cometh forth to meet thee, and will see thee and rejoice in his heart. And thou shalt speak with him, and put the matter in his mouth, and My Word shall be with the word of thy mouth, and with the word of his mouth, and I will instruct you what you are to do. And he shall speak for thee with the people, and be to thee an interpreter, and thou to him the principal, seeking instruction from before the Lord. [JERUSALEM. He shall be to thee an interpreter, and thou to him one inquiring instruction from before the Lord.] And this rod take thou in thy hand to work therewith the signs. And Mosheh went, and returned unto Jethro his father in law, and said, I will now go to my brethren who are in Mizraim, to see how they now live. And Jethro said to Mosheh, Go in peace. And the Lord said unto Mosheh in Midian, Go, return to Mizraim; for they have come to nought, and gone down from their possessions; behold, all the men who sought to take thy life are reckoned as the dead. And Mosheh took his wife and his sons, and made them ride on the ass, and returned to the land of Mizraim. And Mosheh took the rod which he had brought away from the chamber of his father-in-law; and it was from the sapphire Throne of glory, in weight forty sein; and upon it was engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name by which the signs should be wrought before the Lord by his hand. And the Lord said to Mosheh, In going to return into Mizraim, consider all the miracles that I have put in thy hand, and do them before Pharoh: and I will make obstinate the disposition (passion) of his heart, and he will not deliver the people. And thou shalt say to Pharoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My first-born son; and to thee I say, Let My son go free, that he may worship before Me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy first-born son. But it was on the way, in the place of lodging that the angel of the Lord met him, and sought to kill him, because Gershom his son had not been circumcised, inasmuch as Jethro his father-in-law had not permitted him to circumcise him: but Eliezer had been circum-cised, by an agreement between them two. And Zipporah took a stone, and circumcised the foreskin of Gershom her son, and brought the severed part to the feet of the angel, the Destroyer, and said, The husband sought to circumcise, but the father-in-law obstructed him; and now let this blood of the circumcision atone for my husband. [JERUSALEM. And she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and brought before the feet of the Destroyer, and said, The husband could have cir-cumcised, but the father-in-law did not permit him; but now, let the blood of this circumcision atone for the fault of this husband.] And the destroying angel desisted from him, so that Zipporah gave thanks, and said, How lovely is the blood of this circumcision that bath delivered my husband from the angel of destruction! [JERUSALEM. And when the Destroyer had ceased from him, Zipporah gave thanks and said, How lovely is the blood of this circumcision which hath saved my husband from the hand of the angel of death !] And the Lord had said to Aharon, Go and meet Mosheh in the desert. And he came and met him at the mountain where was revealed the glory of the Lord, and he embraced him. And Mosheh delivered to Aharon all these words with which he had sent him, and all the signs that he had instructed him to work. And Mosheh and Aharon went, and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel. And Aharon spake all the words which the Lord had spoken with Mosheh, and did the signs in the eyes of the peo-ple. And the people believed, and heard that the Lord had remembered the sons of Israel, and that their bondage was manifest before Him; and they bowed them-selves and worshipped. [JERUSALEM. And they kneeled down.]V. And after this Mosheh and Aharon went in unto Pharoh, and said, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Release My people, that they may make unto Me a festival in the wilderness. And Pharoh said, The name of the Lord is not made known to me, that I should receive His word to release Israel. I have not found written in the Book of the Angels the name of the Lord. Of Him I am not afraid, neither will I release Israel. And they said, The Name of the God of the Jehudaee is invoked by (or upon) us. We will go, then, to proceed three days into the desert, and offer the sacrifices of a festival before the Lord God, that death and slaughter befall us not. And the king of Mizraim said to Mosheh and Aharon, Why do you make the people cease from their labours? Go to your work. And Pharoh said, Behold, this people of the land are many, whom you would stop from their service. And Pharoh that day commanded the officers of the people and their exactors, saying, You shall no more give straw to the people to cast bricks as heretofore; let them go and collect straw for themselves; but the (same) number of bricks which they have heretofore made ye shall lay upon them, and not diminish from it, because they are idle; therefore they clamour, saying, Let us go to offer the sacrifice of a festival before our God. Make their work strenuous upon the men, that they may be occupied with it, and not be setting their hopes upon lying words. And the officers and exactors of the people went forth, and said to the people, Thus saith Pharoh, I will not give you straw; you must go and take straw wherever you can find it; for your work will not in anywise be diminished. And the people were scattered abroad in all the land of Mizraim to gather stubble for the straw. But the officers were pressing, saying, Fulfil your work day by day, as you did when the straw was given you. And the exactors whom Pharoh set over them as officers beat the sons of Israel, saying, Why have not you fulfilled your appointment, to cast (the same number of) bricks as heretofore, to-day as yesterday? And the foremen came, and cried before Pharoh, saying, Why hast thou dealt thus with thy ser-vents ? Thou hast not given thy servants the straw, and (yet) say they to us, Make the bricks; and, behold, they beat thy servants, and the guilty treatment of thy people is strong:?but it goeth up! But he said, You are idle, idle: therefore you are saying, Let us go and over the sacrifice of a festival before our God. And now, go, work; but the straw shall not be given you, yet the number of the bricks you shall produce. And the fore-men of the sons of Israel saw that they were in evil, (in his) saying, Ye are not to withhold the assignment of your bricks from day to day. And they met Mosheh and Aharon, who stood before them when they came out from the presence of Pharoh, and they said to them, Our affliction is manifest before the Lord, but our punishment is from you who have made our smell offensive before Pharoh and his servants; for you have occasioned a sword to be put into their hand to kill us. And Mosheh returned before the Lord, and said, O Lord, why hast Thou done evil to this people, and wherefore hast Thou sent me? From the hour that I went in unto Pharoh to speak in Thy name, this people hath suffered evil, and delivering Thou hast not delivered them.VI. And the Lord said unto Mosheh, Now have I seen what Pharoh hath done: for by a strong hand shall he release them, and with a strong hand drive them forth from his land. Section XIV. Vaera. AND the Lord spake with Mosheh, and said to him, I am the Lord who revealed Myself to thee in the midst of the bush, and said to thee, I am the Lord. And I was revealed unto Abraham, and to Izhak, and to Jakob, as El-Shaddai; but My Name Ye-ya, as it discovereth My Glory, was not known to them. [JERUSALEM. And the Lord was revealed in His Word unto Abraham, to Izhak, and to Jakob, as the God of Heaven; but the Name of the Word of the Lord was not known to them.] And I confirmed also My covenant with them, to give them the land of Kenaan, the land of their sojourning in which they were sojourners. And now cometh before Me the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Mizraee do enslave them; and I remember My covenant. Therefore say to the sons of Israel, I am the Lord; and I will bring you forth from the oppressive bondage of the Mizraee, and will deliver you from your servitude, and save you with an uplifted arm, and by great judgments. And I will bring you nigh before Me to be a people, and I will be a God unto you, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who hath led you forth from the hard service of the Mizraee. And I will bring you into the land which I covenanted by My Word to give unto Abraham, to Izhak, and to Jakob; and I will give it to you for an inheritance. I Am the Lord. And Mosheh spake according to this to the sons of Israel; but they received not from Mosheh, through anxiety of spirit, and from the strange and hard service which was upon their hands. [JERUSALEM. From anxiety.] And the Lord spake to Mosheh, saying, Go in, speak with Pharoh, the king of Mizraim, that he release the children of Israel from his land. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, the sons of Israel do not hearken to me; how then will Pharoh hearken to me, and I a man difficult of speech? And the Lord spake with Mosheh and with Aharon, and gave them admoni-tion for the sons of Israel, and sent them to Pharoh, king of Mizraim, to send forth the children of Israel from the land of Mizraim. These are the heads of the house of their fathers. -The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, Hanok and Phallu, Hezron and Karmi; these are the race of Reuben. And the sons of Shimeon, Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jakin, and Sochar, and Shaul (he is Zimri, who yielded himself unto fornication, as among the Kenaanaee); these are the race of Shimeon. And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their race: Gershon, and Kehath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi a hundred and thirty and seven years: he lived to see Mosheh and Aharon the deliverers of Israel. And the sons of Gershon,Libni and Shemei, according to their generations. And the sons of Kehath, Amram, and Jitshar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kehath the saint, a hundred and thirty and three years. He lived to see Phinehas, who is Elijah, the Great Priest, who is to be sent to the captivity of Israel at the end of the days. And the sons of Merari, Mahali and Mushi; these are the race of Levi, according to the generations. And Amram took Jokeved his cousin to wife, and she bare him Aharon and Mosheh; and the years of Amram the saint were a hundred and thirty and seven years. He lived to see the children of Rechabia bar Gershom bar Mosheh. And the sons of Jitshar (were) Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. And the sons of Uzziel, Mishael, and Elsaphan, and Sithri. And Aharon took Elisheba, daughter of Aminadab, sister of Nachshon, unto him to wife, and she bare him Nadab and Abibu, Elasar and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah, Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the race of Korah. And Elasar bar Aharon took unto him a wife from the daughters of Jethro who is Putiel, and she bare him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their generations. These are Aharon and Mosheh, to whom the Lord said, Bring forth the sons of Israel free from the land ; of Mizraim, according to their hosts;?these are they who spake with Pharoh, king of Mizraim, that he should send out the sons of Israel from Mizraim;?it is Mosheh the prophet, and Aharon the priest. And it was in the day when the Lord spake with Mosheh in the land of Mizraim, that Aharon gave a listening ear, and heard what He spake with him. And the Lord spake with Mosheh, and said to him, I am the Lord. Say to Pharoh, king of Mizraim, all that I tell thee. And Mosheh said before the Lord, Behold, I am difficult in speaking; how then will Pharoh hearken to me?VII. But the Lord said to Mosheh, Wherefore art thou fearful? Behold, I have set thee a terror to Pharoh, as if thou wast his God, and Aharon thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak to Aharon that which I command thee, and Aharon thy brother shall speak to Pharoh, that he release the sons of Israel from his land. But I will harden the disposition of Pharoh's heart, to multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Mizraim. Nor will Pharoh hearken to you. But I will shoot among them the arrows of death, and inflict the plagues