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So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.”

“Go in Peace,” Jethro replied.

Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.”

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand, he carried the staff of God.

And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. Then you will tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship Me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!'” (vv 18-23, NLT)

But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very goog with words. I never have been, and I’m now not, even though you have spoken to me, I get tongue-tid , and my words get tangled.”

The the Lord asked Moses, “Who make a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see and not see? No go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you what to say.”

But Moses pleaded again,”Lord, please! Send someone else!”

Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” He said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct both of you in what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. And take you shepherd’s staff with you and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” (vv. 10-17, NLT)

But Moses protested again. “what if they won’t believe or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you?'”

Then the Lord asked him,”What is in your hand?”

“A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.

“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.

Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” . So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand.

“Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob-really has appeared to you.

Then the Lord asked ot Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe sin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile Rifer and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do , the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” (vv.1-9, NLT)

“The elders of Israel will accept your message. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Israel and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So please let us take a thee-day journey into the wilderness and offer sacrifices to the Lord, our God.’

“But you know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a might hand forces him. So I will raise My hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably upon you. They will give you gifts when you so so you will not go empty-handed. Every Israelite woman will ask for articles of silver and gold and fine clothing from her Egyptian neighbors and from foreign women in their houses.You will dress your sons and daughters with these, stripping the Egyptians of the wealth.” (v 18-22, NLT)

Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of Egyptians and lead then out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with mik and honey-the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jeusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached Me , and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. No go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead My people our of Egypt.”

But Moses protested to God, “”Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?

God answered, “I will be with you. An this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.”

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask, ‘What is His name?’Then what shall I tell them?”

God replied to Moses, ” I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, ” Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham. the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob- has sent me to you. This is My eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” (vv. 7-15, NLT)

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of the Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness, and cam to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. Moses said to himself, “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to Moses from the middle of the bush, “Moses!, Moses!”

“Do not come any closer,”the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. (vv. 1-6, NLT)

When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat besides a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water trough for their father’s flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks.

When the girls returned to Reul, their father asked, Why are you back so soon today?”

“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.”

“Where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come eat with us.”

Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with them. In time, Ruel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”

Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under the burden of their slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. he looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. (vv. 15b-25, NLT)

Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he aw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up on your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight.

The man replied, “Who appointed you king an judge? Are you going to kill me like that Egyptian yesterday?”

Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.: And sure enough, Pharaoh heard about what had happened , and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses flet from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. (vv. 11-15a, NLT)

About this time, a man and a woman from the tribe of Levi got married. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She say that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed with with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid among the reeds along the Nile River. The baby’s sister stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.

Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the river bank. When the princes saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. When the princess oened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.

“Yes, do!” the princes replied.” So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.

“Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.

Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”(vv. 1-10, NLT)

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiprah and Puah. “When you people help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”

“The Hebrew women wer not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are. more vigorous and have their babies quickly so we cannot get there in time.”

So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.” (vv. 15-22, NLT)