^1. THEN the LORD said to Moses, «Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for [2] under compulsion he will let them go, and [1] under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.»

^2. God spoke further to Moses and said to him, «I am the LORD;

^3. and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as [4] God Almighty, but by My name, [3] LORD, I did not make Myself known to them.

^4. «I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the [5] land in which they sojourned.

^5. «Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

^6. «Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, " I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

^7. "Then I will take you [7] for My people, and I will be [6] your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

^8. "I will bring you to the land which I [8] swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the LORD.'»

^9. So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their [9] despondency and cruel bondage.

^10. Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

^11. « Go, [11] tell Pharaoh king of Egypt [10] to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.»

^12. But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, «Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am [12] unskilled in speech?»

^13. Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

^14. These are the heads of their fathers' households. The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

^15. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

^16. These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the [13] length of Levi's life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.

^17. The sons of Gershon: [14] Libni and Shimei, according to their families.

^18. The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the [15] length of Kohath's life was one hundred and thirty-three years.

^19. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.

^20. Amram [17] married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the [16] length of Amram's life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.

^21. The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.

^22. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and [18] Elzaphan and Sithri.

^23. Aaron [19] married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

^24. The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and [20] Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.

^25. Aaron's son Eleazar [21] married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites according to their families.

^26. It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, « Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.»

^27. They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt [22] about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

^28. Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

^29. that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, « I am the LORD; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.»

^30. But Moses said before the LORD, «Behold, I am [23] unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?»