GIDEON'S BRAVE BAND
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Posted:Apr 7, 2022 1:56 am
Last Updated:Apr 7, 2022 1:57 am 7872 Views
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In course of time the Midianites conquered the Israelites. To escape them the Israelites
made for themselves dens in the mountains and caves and strongholds. When the
Israelites had sown their crops, the Midianites would come up and leave nothing for the[65]
Israelites to live on, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass; for they came up with their cattle and
their tents. The Israelites were so robbed by the Midianites, that they cried to Jehovah for
help.
Then the angel of Jehovah came and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah that
belonged to Joash the Abiezerite; and his , Gideon, was beating out wheat in the
wine-press to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of Jehovah appeared to him and said,
"Jehovah is with you, able warrior!" Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if Jehovah is with us,
why then has all this overtaken us? Where are all his wonderful acts of which our fathers
told us, saying, 'Did not Jehovah bring us from Egypt?' But now Jehovah has cast us off and
given us into the power of the Midianites."
Then Jehovah turned to him and said, "With this strength which you have go and save
Israel from the rule of the Midianites: do I not send you?" But Gideon said to him, "O
Jehovah, how can I save Israel? See, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the
least in my father's house." Jehovah said to him, "I will surely be with you, and you shall
overthrow the Midianites as if they were only one man."
Then the spirit of Jehovah took possession of Gideon, and he sounded the war trumpet,
and the Abiezerites assembled under his leadership. He also sent messengers throughout
all the land of the Manassites, and they assembled under his leadership; and he sent
messengers to the Asherites, the Zebulunites, and the Naphtalites, and they went up to join
him. But Jehovah said to Gideon, "You have too many people with you; if I give the
Midianites up to the Israelites they will boast, 'We have saved ourselves!' Therefore,
proclaim to your people, 'Whoever is afraid may go home.'"
Then Gideon separated them, so that twenty-two thousand of the people went back home,
but ten thousand stayed. But Jehovah said to him, "The people are still too many; take them
down to the water, and I will try them out for you there. Every one of whom I say to you,
'This one shall go with you,' shall go with you; and every one of whom I say to you, 'This one
shall not go with you,' shall not go."
So Gideon brought the people down to the water. And Jehovah said to him, "You shall put
by themselves all who lap the water with their tongues, as a laps, and all who kneel
down on their knees to drink by themselves." The number of those who lapped with their
tongue, putting their hand to their mouth, were three[66] hundred men; but all the rest of the
people knelt down on their knees to drink. Then Jehovah said to Gideon, "By the three
hundred men who lapped I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands. Let all
the rest of the people go home." So they took the food that the people had in their hands,
and their trumpets; and Gideon sent home all the other Israelites, keeping only the three
hundred men.
Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed it, and the three hundred men were with him,
faint yet pursuing. And he said to the men of Succoth, "Give, I beg of you, loaves of bread
to the people who follow me, for they are faint and I am pursuing after Zebah and
Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." But the rulers of Succoth said, "Are Zebah and Zalmunna
already in your power that we should give bread to your band?" Gideon replied, "When
Jehovah has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, for this insult I will thrash your
bare flesh with desert thorns and briers." He went on from there to Penuel and made the
same request of the men of Penuel, but they made the same answer as the men of
Succoth. To the men of Penuel he also said, "When I come back victorious, I will break
down this tower."
Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their forces were with them, in all about fifteen
thousand men. Gideon went up by the caravan road and surprised the horde as it was
encamped with no fear of being attacked. He divided the three hundred men into three
companies. Into the hands of all of them he put horns and empty earthen jars. In each jar
was a torch. He also said to them, "Watch me and do as I do. When I reach the outside of
the camp and those who are with me blow a blast on the horn, then you also shall blow your
horns on every side of the camp and cry, 'For Jehovah and Gideon!'"
So Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outside of the camp at the beginning
of the middle watch, when guards had just been posted; and they blew the horns and broke
in pieces the jars that were in their hands. The two other companies also broke their jars,
took the torches in their left hands and their swords in their right, and cried, "The Sword of
Jehovah and of Gideon." And as they stood where they were, about the camp, the entire
horde awoke, sounded the alarm, and fled. Zebah and Zalmunna also fled; but Gideon
followed and captured the two kings of Midian and threw all the horde into a panic.
When Gideon returned from the battle, he captured a young[67] man who lived at Succoth.
At Gideon's request he wrote down for him the names of the rulers of Succoth and its
leading men. There were seventy-seven in all. When Gideon came to the men of Succoth,
he said, "See, here are Zebah and Zalmunna about whom you mocked me, saying, 'Are
Zebah and Zalmunna already in your power that we should give bread to your men who are
weary?'" Then he took desert thorns and briers, and with these he thrashed the leading men
of Succoth. He also broke down the tower of Penuel and put to death the men of the town.
Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were those whom you killed
at Tabor?" They replied, "They were just like you; each of them looked like a prince."
Gideon said, "They were my own brothers, the sons of my mother. As surely as Jehovah
lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you now."
Then he said to Jether, his oldest , "Up and kill them." But the boy did not draw his
sword, because he was afraid, for he was only a boy. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get
up yourself and fall upon us; for a man has a man's strength!" So Gideon rose and killed
Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.
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WOMEN WHO SAVED A NATION
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Posted:Apr 5, 2022 1:49 am
Last Updated:Apr 5, 2022 1:49 am 7841 Views
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Later Sisera, who had nine hundred iron chariots, cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty
years. Then the prophetess Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, delivered Israel. She used to sit
under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the highlands of Ephraim;
and the Israelites went to her to have her decide their disputes.
She sent and called Barak, the of Abinoam, from Kadesh Naphtali and said to him,
"Does not Jehovah the God of Israel command you: 'Go, march to Mount Tabor and take
with you ten thousand of the Naphtalites and of the Zebulunites? Then I will draw out to you
at the brook Kishon Sisera with his chariots and his troops, and I will deliver him into your
hands.'" Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I
will not go." She replied, "I will certainly go with you, only you will not have the glory in this
expedition on which you are going, for Jehovah will deliver Sisera into the hands of a
woman."
So Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kadesh. Barak called the Zebulunites and the
Naphtalites together at Kadesh and ten thousand men followed him; and Deborah also went
up with him.
Now Heber the Kenite had left the Kenites, the of Jethro the father-in-law of Moses,
and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak which is near Kadesh.
When it was reported to Sisera that Barak the of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all his people from
the heathen city Harosheth to the brook Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, "To the
attack! for to-day Jehovah has delivered Sisera into your hands. Has not Jehovah gone out
before you?"
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THE CAPTURE OF JERICHO AND AI
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Posted:Apr 4, 2022 12:29 am
Last Updated:Apr 5, 2022 1:50 am 8443 Views
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Now Jericho had closed its gates because of the Israelites, and no one went in or out. But
Jehovah said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho to you with its king and its able warriors.
You shall march around the city, all the soldiers going about the city once. You shall do this
for six days, and on the seventh day the people shall make the attack, each man going up
straight before him."
Then Joshua said to the people, "March around the city and let the armed men pass on
before the ark of Jehovah. You shall not shout the battle-cry nor let your voice be heard; not
a word shall escape from your mouth until the day I say to you, 'Shout the battle-cry'; then
you shall shout!"
So he had the ark of Jehovah carried around the city once; then they returned to the camp
and spent the night there. The second day they also marched around the city once and
returned to the camp. Thus they did six days. The seventh day they rose early at dawn and
made the circuit of the city in the same way, only on that day they marched about the city
seven times. The seventh[61] time the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the
people, "Shout the battle-cry; for Jehovah has given you the city. The city and all that is in it
shall be sacrificed to Jehovah; only Rahab and those who are with her in her house shall
live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent."
So the people shouted the battle-cry and the wall fell down and they went straight up into
the city and captured it. But Joshua spared the lives of Rahab and her father's family and all
that she had, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to explore Jericho; and
they have lived among the Israelites even to this day.
Then Joshua set out with all the warriors to go up to Ai. And he selected thirty thousand
brave soldiers and sent them out at night with this command, "Hide somewhere beyond the
town, not very far from it, but be ready to act. I and all the people who are with me will go
toward the town, but when they come out against us, we will flee before them. They will
come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the town; for they will say, 'They are
fleeing before us.' Then you shall rise up from where you are hiding, and take the town.
When you have captured it, set it on fire."
So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place where they were to hide and placed
themselves on the west side of Ai. Joshua spent that night among the people, and rose
early the next morning and gathered them, and he went up, together with the rulers of
Israel, before the people to Ai. And the warriors who were with him went up and came
before the town. When the king of Ai saw it, the men of the town quickly rose up and went
out to fight against the Israelites, but the king did not know that men were hiding behind the
town to rise up and attack him.
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CROSSING THE RIVER JORDAN
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Posted:Dec 18, 2021 9:39 pm
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2021 9:40 pm 8755 Views
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After the death of Moses, Jehovah said to Joshua, Moses' helper, "Moses my servant is
dead: Now arise, go over the Jordan with all this people to the land which I am about to give
to the Israelites. As long as you live no one will be able to stand against you. As I was with
Moses, so I shall be with you: I will not fail you nor forsake you. Be brave and strong, for you
shall give this people the land which I solemnly promised their fathers I would give them.[58]
be brave and strong to keep faithfully all the law, as Moses my servant commanded
you. Turn not from it to the right nor to the left, and you shall have success wherever you
go. Have I not commanded you? Be brave and strong; fear not nor be afraid, for Jehovah
your God is with you wherever you go."
Then Joshua gave this order to the officers who were over the people: "Go through all the
camp and give this command: 'Prepare food for yourselves, for within three days you are to
cross this Jordan, to go in and take the land which Jehovah your God has given you as your
own.'"
While Joshua was Shittim, he secretly sent two men as spies, with the command: "Go,
explore the land and especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a woman
named Rahab, and stayed there.
It was reported to the king of Jericho, "Some men came here to-night from the Israelites to
explore the land." Therefore the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, "Bring the men
who entered your house, for they have come to explore all the land."
Now the woman had taken the two men and hidden them; so she said, "It is true, some men
came to me, but I did not know where they came from. When the time came to shut the
gate at night, the men went and I do not know where they have gone. Follow after them
quickly, for you may overtake them." She, however, had brought them up to the roof and
hidden them with the stalks of flax which she had spread there. So the men of Jericho
followed after them in the direction of the fords of the Jordan; and as soon as the men of
Jericho had gone , the gate was closed.
The spies had hardly lain down when Rahab came up to them on the roof and said, "I know
that Jehovah has given you the land and that fear of you has seized us and that because of
you all who live in the land are losing heart. Now therefore swear to me by Jehovah, since I
have treated you with kindness, that you will also treat my family kindly, and promise me
that you will save the lives of my father, my , my brothers, and my sisters, together
with all that they have, and will not put us to death." The men said to her, "We are ready to
give our lives for you, if you do not tell what we are doing; and when Jehovah gives us the
land, we will treat you kindly and faithfully."
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house in which she lived was
built into the city wall. She said to[59] them, "Go into the hills, that the men who are looking
for you may not find you, and hide yourselves there three days until they have returned.
Then you may go on your way."
The men said to her, "We shall be free from our solemn promise to you, unless, when we
come into the land, you bind this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let
us down and gather your father, your , your brothers, and all your family into your
house. If any one goes of the doors of your house into the street, he shall be
responsible for his death and we shall be innocent. If any one stays with you in the house,
we will be responsible for his death if any one lays hands on him. But if you tell what we are
doing, we shall be free from our solemn promise to you." She replied, "It shall be as you
say." So she sent them away. And when they were gone, she bound the scarlet cord in the
window.
So they left and went into the hills and stayed there three days until those who were looking
for them had returned. They sought for them in every direction but did not find them. Then
the two men came down from the hills, crossed the river, and came to Joshua and told him
all that had happened to them.
Joshua up early in the morning and set from Shittim. And he and all the Israelites
came to the Jordan and spent the night there before crossing. And Joshua said to the
people, "Consecrate yourselves, for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. Come
and hear the words of Jehovah your God. By this you shall know that a living God is with
you: the ark of the Lord of all the earth is about to pass over before you into the Jordan.
When the priests who bear the ark of the Lord of all the earth step into the waters of the
Jordan, its waters shall be cut off, so that the waters that come down from above will stand
still in a heap."
So when the people left their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests, who were carrying
the ark were in front of them. And when the bearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the
feet of the priests who were carrying the ark dipped in the brink of the water—for the Jordan
overflows all its banks during the harvest time—the waters that came down from above
stood still and its waters in a heap a long distance up the river Adam, the city that is
near Zarethan. The waters that went down toward the Dead Sea were wholly cut off, while
the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who were carrying the ark of Jehovah
stood firm on dry ground in the
[60] middle of the Jordan, while all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until the whole
nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.
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OUR DUTIES TO GOD AND MAN
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Posted:Dec 18, 2021 9:35 pm
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2021 9:37 pm 8642 Views
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Hear O Israel: Jehovah our God is the one Lord. You shall love Jehovah your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Behold, the heavens, the highest heavens, the earth and all that is on it belong to Jehovah
your God. Jehovah showed his love to your fathers more than to any other people, and he
has chosen their after them and you of all the nations. Therefore, open your
heart to him and no longer refuse to be guided by him. For Jehovah your God is God of
gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the wonderful God, who shows no favors and
takes no bribes, who sees that what is right is done to the orphan and widow, who loves the
foreigner and gives him food and clothing. Love Jehovah your God and always keep his
laws and his commands.
You shall not deceive one another.
You shall not lie to one another.
You shall not swear falsely in my name.
You shall not wrong nor rob your neighbor.
You shall not curse the deaf.
You shall not put a stumbling-block before the blind.
You shall not tell stories about one another.
You shall not hate any one.
You shall not take vengeance nor bear a grudge against any one.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[55]
You shall rise before the hoary head and honor an old man.
If a foreigner lives in your land, you shall do him no wrong. You shall treat him as one of
your own people and you shall love him as yourself.
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GOD'S COMMANDS TO THE PEOPLE
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Posted:Dec 18, 2021 9:33 pm
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2021 9:33 pm 8693 Views
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Moses led the Israelites forward from the Red Sea until they came to the wilderness of
Sinai, and there the Israelites camped before the mountain.
Moses went up into the presence of God, and Jehovah called to him from the mountain and
said, "Tell the Israelites: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on
eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will listen to my voice and
keep your solemn agreement with me, you shall be my own treasure taken from among all
peoples, for all the earth is mine. You shall be a nation of priests, a people devoted to my
.'"
So Moses called together the leaders of the people and told them all these words, as
Jehovah had commanded him. And all the people answered together, "We will do all that
Jehovah has commanded."[53]
When Moses told Jehovah the answer of the people, Jehovah said to him, "See, I come to
you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak and may always believe in you."
And Jehovah said to Moses, "Go to the people and keep them pure to- and to-morrow,
and let them wash their garments and be ready on the third , for on the third I will
come down on Mount Sinai within sight of all the people."
On the third , when morning came, there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick
cloud rested upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast sounded, so that all the
people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people of the camp to
meet God; and they stood the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was entirely covered with
smoke, because Jehovah came down upon it in fire. And from it smoke went up like the
smoke of a furnace, and the entire mountain shook violently.
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THE COST OF BEING CRUEL AND STUBBORN
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Posted:Dec 18, 2021 9:27 pm
Last Updated:Apr 5, 2022 1:51 am 9000 Views
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Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Pharaoh is stubborn; he will not let the people go. Go to
Pharaoh early in the morning, as he is going on the water, and stand by the bank of the
Nile to meet him. Say to him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you with
this command: Let my people go that they may worship me in the wilderness, but so far you
have not listened. Jehovah declares, By this you shall know that I am Jehovah: See, I will
strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand and they shall be
changed into blood. The fish, too, that are in the Nile shall die, and the Nile shall become
foul, so that the Egyptians will hate to drink its water.'"
Then Moses lifted up the staff and in the presence of Pharaoh and his servants struck the
waters that were in the river Nile; and all its waters were changed into blood. The fish, too,
that were in the Nile died, and the river became so foul that the Egyptians could not drink its
water, but dug round about the Nile for water to drink.[46]
days later Jehovah gave this command to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and say to him,
'Jehovah commands: Let my people go that they may worship . If you refuse to let them
go, then I will afflict all your land with frogs; and the Nile shall swarm with frogs which shall
go up and come into your house, into your sleeping chamber, upon your bed, into the
houses of your servants, upon your people, and into your ovens and kneading-troughs; and
the frogs shall come up even upon you and your people and all your servants.'"
Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: 'Stretch your hand with your staff over the
rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come up over the land of
Egypt.'" So Aaron stretched his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up
and covered the land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to Jehovah to take away the
frogs from me and my people; then I will let the people go, that they may offer a sacrifice to
Jehovah." Moses said to Pharaoh, "Will you do yourself the honor of telling me at what time
I shall pray to Jehovah in your behalf and in behalf of your servants and people, that the
frogs be destroyed from your palaces and be left in the Nile?" Pharaoh answered,
"To-morrow." Then Moses said, "Let it be as you say; that you may know that there is none
like Jehovah our God, the frogs shall depart from you, from your palaces, and from your
servants and people; they shall be left in the Nile."
When Moses and Aaron had gone from Pharaoh, Moses prayed to Jehovah to remove
the frogs which he had brought upon Pharaoh; and Jehovah did as Moses asked. The frogs
died in the houses, in the courts, and in the fields, and the people gathered them together in
many heaps; and the land was filled with a vile odor. But when Pharaoh saw that relief had
come, he was stubborn and, as Jehovah had said, did not listen to Moses and Aaron.
Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, just
as he goes to the water, and say to him, 'Jehovah commands: Let my people go that
they may worship . If you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies upon you,
upon your servants, and upon your people and into your palaces, so that the houses of the
Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, as well as the ground upon which they stand. But
at that time I will set apart the land of Goshen in which my people live,[47] and no swarms
of flies shall be there, so that you may know that I, Jehovah, am in the midst of the earth.'"
And Jehovah did so: a vast swarm of flies came upon Pharaoh's palace and into the homes
of his servants; and all the land of Egypt was ruined by the swarms of flies.
Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, "I will let you go that you may offer a
sacrifice to Jehovah your God in the wilderness; you must not go far away. Pray for
." Moses replied, "I will go and will pray to Jehovah that the swarms of flies may
depart from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people to-morrow; let not Pharaoh
again act deceitfully by refusing to let the people go to offer a sacrifice to Jehovah."
So Moses went from Pharaoh and prayed to Jehovah. And Jehovah did as Moses
asked; but this time also Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let the people go.
Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Jehovah the God of the
Hebrews commands: Let my people go that they may worship me. For if you refuse to let
them go and still hold them, then the power of Jehovah will bring a very severe pest upon
your cattle which are in the field, upon the horses, the asses, the camels, the herds, and the
flocks. But Jehovah will make a difference between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of
Egypt, and not one that belongs to the Israelites shall die.'"
So Jehovah set a fixed time, saying, "To-morrow Jehovah will do this in the land." Jehovah
did this on the next , and all the cattle of the Egyptians died; but none of the cattle of the
Israelites. Then Pharaoh sent and found that not even one of the cattle of the Israelites was
dead; but Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let the people go.
Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and
say to him,'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, commands: Let my people go, that they may
worship . Do you still set yourself against my people, so that you will not let them go?
To-morrow about this time I will send down a very heavy fall of hail, such as has not been in
Egypt from the that it became a nation until now.'"
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PHARAOH THE STUBBORN RULER
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Posted:Dec 13, 2021 11:01 pm
Last Updated:Dec 18, 2021 9:40 pm 8881 Views
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Then Jehovah said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met
him on the mountain of God and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all that Jehovah had
sent him to declare. So Moses and Aaron gathered all the leaders of the Israelites, and
Aaron repeated all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses. The people believed;
and when they heard that Jehovah had remembered the Israelites and that he had seen
their suffering, they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Jehovah, the God of Israel
commands, 'Let my people go that they may hold a feast in my honor in the wilderness.'"
But Pharaoh said, "Who is Jehovah that I should obey his command to let Israel go? I do
not know Jehovah, and I will not let Israel go." They said, "The God of the Hebrews has
appeared to us; let us go three days' journey into the wilderness that we may offer a
sacrifice to Jehovah our God, that he may not attack us with pestilence or with the sword."
But the king of Egypt replied, "Moses and Aaron, why do you try to turn the people from
their work? Go to your tasks!"
The same day Pharaoh gave this command to the taskmasters who were over the people:
"You shall no longer give the people straw for making bricks as before. Let them go and
gather straw for themselves. But you shall demand of them the same number of bricks that
they have been making before; you shall not lessen the number at all, for they are lazy; that
is why they cry out, 'Let us go and offer a sacrifice to our God.' Let heavier work be laid
upon the men, that they may be kept so busy that they will not pay attention to lying words."
So the taskmasters who were over the people went out and said to them, "This is Pharaoh's
order, 'I will no longer give you straw. Go yourselves, get straw wherever you can find it; but
your work shall not be made less.'" So the people were scattered over all the land of Egypt
to gather stubble for straw. The taskmasters urged them on, saying, "You must finish your
daily task just[45] as when there was straw."
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THE VOICE FROM THE BUSH
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Posted:Dec 13, 2021 10:56 pm
Last Updated:Dec 13, 2021 10:57 pm 8778 Views
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After a long time the king of Egypt died. Moses was taking care of the flock of Jethro his
wife's father. Once he led the flock to the other side of the pasture and came to Horeb, the
mountain of God. There the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the
midst of a thorn bush. As he looked, the bush flamed up without being burned. Moses said,
"I will stop here and see this wonderful sight, why the bush is not burned up."
When Jehovah saw that Moses stopped to look, he called to him from the midst of the
bush, "Moses, Moses." Moses answered, "Here am I." Then God said, "Do not come near;
take your shoes off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." He also
said, "I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob." Then Moses covered his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.[43]
But Jehovah said, "I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt and
have heard their cry of distress because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. I
have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them out of
that land into a land that is beautiful and wide, to a land with plenty of milk and honey. I
have heard the cry of the Israelites and I have seen how they suffer at the hands of the
Egyptians. Come now, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt."
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and should bring the
Israelites out of Egypt?" He answered, "I will surely be with you; and this shall be the sign to
you that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship
God upon this mountain."
Then Moses said to God, "If I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your
forefathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I answer
them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHAT I AM"; and he said, "Declare to the Israelites: 'I AM
has sent me to you.' Go and gather the leaders of Israel together and say to them, 'Jehovah
the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me
and said, I have surely remembered you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt,
and I have declared that I will bring you up out of the suffering in Egypt to a land with plenty
of milk and honey.' They will listen to your voice; and you, together with the leaders of Israel,
shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has
appeared to us. Now let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may offer a
sacrifice to Jehovah our God.' But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he
is made to do so by a mighty power. Therefore I will use my power and overwhelm Egypt
with all the marvellous deeds that I will do there. After that he will let you go."
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THE BOYHOOD AND TRAINING OF MOSES
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Posted:Dec 13, 2021 10:53 pm
Last Updated:Dec 13, 2021 10:54 pm 8770 Views
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After the death of Joseph and his brothers, the Israelites increased so rapidly and became
so many and powerful that the land was filled with them. But a new king who did not know
Joseph[41] ruled over Egypt. He said to his people, "See, the Israelites are becoming too
many and powerful for us. Come, let us deal wisely with them, for fear that they become so
many that, if war is begun against us, they will join our enemies and fight against us and
leave the land."
So the Egyptians set taskmasters over them to put burdens upon them. And they built for
Pharaoh the store-cities, Pithom and Rameses. But the more the Egyptians afflicted them,
the more numerous they became and the more they spread everywhere, so that the
Egyptians dreaded what they might do. And the Egyptians were cruel and made slaves of
them, making their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and brick, and by all kinds of hard
work in the field.
Pharaoh also gave this command to all his people, "You shall throw into the river every
that is born to the Hebrews, but every you shall save alive."
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of the same tribe, and she had a .
When she saw that he was a beautiful , she hid him for three months. But when she
could no longer hide him, she took a basket made of papyrus reeds, daubed it with mortar
and pitch, and put the in it. Then she placed it in the reeds by the bank of the river
Nile, while his sister stayed near by to see what would happen to him.
The of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, and while her maids were walking
along the river's bank, she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her waiting-maid to
bring it. When she opened it and saw the , the boy was crying; and she felt sorry for
him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew ."
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's , "Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to
nurse the for you?" Pharaoh's said to her, "Go." So the maiden went and
called the 's mother, and Pharaoh's said to her, "Take this away and
nurse it for me, and I will pay you your wages." Then the woman took the and nursed
it. When the had grown up, she brought him to Pharaoh's , and he became
her ; and she named him Moses, for she said, "I drew him out of the water."
One time, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people; and as he was
watching them at their hard labor, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own
race. He looked around[42] and seeing that there was no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian
and hid him in the sand.
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