Moses at the Burning Bush (Acts 7:30–38)
1 UDB One day, Moses took the flock of Jethro his father in law, priest of Midian, to the far side of the wilderness. He came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 UDB When he was on the mountain, Yahweh appeared as an angel to Moses from inside a burning bush. As Moses looked at the bush, it was not destroyed by the fire. BSB BSB: There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.
3 UDB Moses thought, "I will go closer to see this strange sight! Why is the bush not burning up?" BSB BSB: So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
4 UDB When Yahweh saw Moses come close to the bush, he called out to Moses, "Moses, Moses!" Moses said to God, "Here I am." BSB BSB: When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
5 UDB God said, "Do not come close to the bush! Because I am God, the ground on which you are standing belongs to me. So take off your sandals to show respect to me." BSB BSB: “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
6 UDB He said, "I am God, the one your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshiped." Moses was afraid that God would kill him if he looked at him, so he turned his head away. BSB BSB: Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 UDB Then Yahweh said, "I have seen how badly the Egyptians are treating my people in Egypt. I have heard my people shouting in despair because of what the slave drivers are making them do. I know how my people are suffering. BSB BSB: The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
8 UDB So I have come down from heaven to rescue them from the Egyptians. I will lead them to a good and large land, a land where they can grow many crops and raise much livestock, where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus live. BSB BSB: I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 9 UDB Truly I have now heard my Israelite people crying. I have seen how badly the Egyptians treat them. BSB BSB: And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 UDB So I am sending you back to Egypt to the king because you will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." BSB BSB: Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 UDB But Moses said to God, "I am not important enough to go to the king in order to bring your people out of Egypt." BSB BSB: But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 UDB God said, "I will be with you. When you bring my people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me right here on this mountain. That will prove to you that I am the one who sent you to them." BSB BSB: “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”
13 UDB Moses said to God, "If I go to the Israelite people and say to them, 'God, the one your ancestors worshiped, has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I say to them?" BSB BSB: Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?”
15 UDB God also said to Moses, "You must say to the Israelites, 'Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has sent me to you.' Yahweh is my name forever, and this is how all generations should remember me. BSB BSB: God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—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 am to be remembered in every generation.
16 UDB Go to Egypt and gather together the elders. Say to them, 'Yahweh, the God whom Abraham worshiped, whom Isaac worshiped, and whom Jacob worshiped, has appeared to me and said: I have seen what the Egyptian people have done to you. BSB BSB: Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17 UDB I promise that I will rescue you from being treated badly in Egypt, and I will take you to the land where the descendants of Canaan, Heth, Amor, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus live. It is a good land where you can grow many crops and raise much livestock.' BSB BSB: And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18 UDB The elders will do what you say. Then you and the elders will go to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, 'Yahweh, whom we Hebrews worship as God, has met with us. So now we ask you to allow us to travel for three days to a place in the wilderness in order that there we may offer sacrifices to Yahweh, our God.' BSB BSB: The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
19 UDB But I know that the king of Egypt will allow you to go only if he sees that he has no other choice. BSB BSB: But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
20 UDB So I will use my power by performing many miracles there. Then he will allow you to leave. BSB BSB: So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.
21 UDB When this happens, I will cause the people of Egypt to honor the Hebrew people so that when you leave Egypt, they will give you what you need for the journey. BSB BSB: And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed.
22 UDB At that time, each Hebrew woman will ask for what belongs to the Egyptian women living nearby. The Egyptians will give you all they have—silver and gold jewelry and clothing. You will put these things on your children. In this way, you will take everything from the Egyptians." BSB BSB: Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”