Egypt

So Yosef died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt.

These are the names of the sons of Isra'el who came into Egypt with Ya'akov; each man came with his household:

All told, there were seventy descendants of Ya'akov; Yosef was already in Egypt.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef

Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu'ah.

However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn't do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live.

The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?"

The midwives answered Pharaoh, "It's because the Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women -they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives."

Sometime during those many years the king of Egypt died, but the people of Isra'el still groaned under the yoke of slavery, and they cried out, and their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.

ADONAI said, "I have seen how my people are being oppressed in Egypt and heard their cry for release from their slavemasters, because I know their pain.

Therefore, now, come; and I will send you to Pharaoh; so that you can lead my people, the descendants of Isra'el, out of Egypt."

Moshe said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra'el out of Egypt?"

He replied, "I will surely be with you. Your sign that I have sent you will be that when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."

Go, gather the leaders of Isra'el together, and say to them, 'ADONAI, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov, has appeared to me and said, "I have been paying close attention to you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt;

and I have said that I will lead you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Kena'ani, Hitti, Emori, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi, to a land flowing with milk and honey."'

They will heed what you say. Then you will come, you and the leaders of Isra'el, before the king of Egypt; and you will tell him, 'ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now, please, let us go three days' journey into the desert; so that we can sacrifice to ADONAI our God.'

I know that the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so.

But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go.

Moreover, I will make the Egyptians so well-disposed toward this people that when you go, you won't go empty-handed.

Rather, all the women will ask their neighbors and house guests for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, with which you will dress your own sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians."

Moshe left, returned to Yitro his father-in-law and said to him, "I beg you to let me go and return to my kinsmen in Egypt, to see if they are still alive." Yitro said to Moshe, "Go in peace."

ADONAI said to Moshe in Midyan, "Go on back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."

So Moshe took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and started out for Egypt. Moshe took God's staff in his hand.

ADONAI said to Moshe, "When you get back to Egypt, make sure that you do before Pharaoh every one of the wonders I have enabled you to do. Nevertheless, I am going to make him hardhearted, and he will refuse to let the people go.

The king of Egypt answered them, "Moshe and Aharon, what do you mean by taking the people away from their work? Get back to your labor!