Moses and the Burning Bush
1Moses was taking care of the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. Jethro was the priest of Midian. Moses led the flock to the western side of the desert. He came to Horeb. It was the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him from inside a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire. But it didn’t burn up. 3So Moses thought, “I’ll go over and see this strange sight. Why doesn’t the bush burn up?”
4The Lord saw that Moses had gone over to look. So God spoke to him from inside the bush. He called out, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am,” Moses said.
5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals. The place you are standing on is holy ground.” 6He continued, “I am the God of your father. I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard that, he turned his face away. He was afraid to look at God.
7The Lord said, “I have seen how my people are suffering in Egypt. I have heard them cry out because of their slave drivers. I am concerned about their suffering. 8So I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them up out of that land. I will bring them into a good land. It has a lot of room. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey. The Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites live there. 9And now Israel’s cry for help has reached me. I have seen how badly the Egyptians are treating them. 10So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh. I want you to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. They are my people.”
11But Moses spoke to God. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he said. “Who am I that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12God said, “I will be with you. I will give you a sign. It will prove that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain.”
13Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the people of Israel. Suppose I say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ And suppose they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
14God said to Moses, “I am who I am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
15God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord is the God of your fathers. He has sent me to you. He is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. And he is the God of Jacob.’ My name will always be The Lord. Call me this name for all time to come.
16“Go. Gather the elders of Israel together. Say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God said, “I have watched over you. I have seen what the Egyptians have done to you. 17I have promised to bring you up out of Egypt where you are suffering. I will bring you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey.” ’
18“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt. You must say to him, ‘The Lord has met with us. He is the God of the Hebrews. Let us take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you and your people go. Only a mighty hand could make him do that. 20So I will reach out my hand. I will strike the Egyptians with all the amazing things I will do. After that, their king will let you go.
21“I will cause the Egyptians to treat you in a kind way. Then when you leave, you will not go with your hands empty. 22Every woman should ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for things made out of silver and gold. Ask them for clothes too. Put them on your children. In that way, you will take the wealth of Egypt along with you.”
Mose Na Kichaka Kinachowaka Moto
13:1 Kut 2:16, 18; 17:6; 19:1-11; 33:6; 4:27; 18:5; 24:133:1 Kum 1:2-6; 4:10, 11-15; 5:2; 1Fal 19:8; Amu 1:16; Mal 4:4Basi Mose alikuwa anachunga mifugo ya Yethro mkwewe, kuhani wa Midiani. Mose akapeleka mifugo mbali nyuma ya jangwa, naye akafika Horebu, mlima wa Mungu. 23:2 Mwa 16:7; Kut 2:2-6; 19:18; 4:5; Kum 5:19; 29:1; 1Fal 19:12; Kum 33:16; Mk 12:26; Lk 20:37; Mdo 7:30Huko malaika wa Bwana akamtokea Mose katika mwali wa moto kutoka kichakani. Mose akaona kwamba ingawa kile kichaka kilikuwa kinawaka moto, kilikuwa hakiteketei. 3Ndipo Mose akawaza, “Nitageuka sasa nione kitu hiki cha ajabu, nami nione ni kwa nini kichaka hiki hakiteketei.”
43:4 Kut 19:3; 4:5; Mwa 31:11; 1Sam 3:4; Isa 6:8Bwana alipoona kuwa amegeuka ili aone, Mungu akamwita kutoka ndani ya kile kichaka, “Mose! Mose!”
Naye Mose akajibu, “Mimi hapa.”
53:5 Yer 30:21; Mwa 28:17; Mdo 7:33Mungu akamwambia, “Usikaribie zaidi. Vua viatu vyako, kwa maana mahali unaposimama ni patakatifu.” 63:6 Mwa 24:12; Kut 5:4; 24:11; 33:20; Mt 22:32; Mk 12:26; Lk 20:37; Mdo 3:13; 7:32; 1Fal 19:13; Amu 13:22; Ay 13:11; 23:16; 30:15; Isa 6:5Kisha akamwambia, “Mimi ni Mungu wa baba yako, Mungu wa Abrahamu, Mungu wa Isaki, na Mungu wa Yakobo.” Mose aliposikia hayo, akafunika uso wake kwa sababu aliogopa kumtazama Mungu.
73:7 1Sam 1:11; 9:16; Mwa 16:11; Neh 9:9; Za 106:44; Kut 2:25; Mdo 7:34Bwana akamwambia, “Hakika nimeona mateso ya watu wangu katika Misri. Nimesikia kilio chao kwa sababu ya wasimamizi wao, nami naguswa na mateso yao. 83:8 Mwa 11:5; 12:7; 15:14; Mdo 7:34; Kut 13:5; 33:3; Law 20:24; Hes 13:27; Kum 1:25; 6:3; 8:7-9; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Yos 5:6; 11:3; Yer 11:5; 32:22; Eze 20:6; Amu 3:3Basi nimeshuka niwaokoe kutoka mkono wa Wamisri, niwatoe na kuwapandisha kutoka nchi hiyo, niwapeleke katika nchi nzuri na kubwa, nchi itiririkayo maziwa na asali, nchi ya Wakanaani, Wahiti, Waamori, Waperizi, Wahivi na Wayebusi. 93:9 Kut 1:14; Hes 10:9Sasa kilio cha Waisraeli kimenifikia, nami nimeona jinsi Wamisri wanavyowatesa. 103:10 Kut 4:12; 6:13, 26; 12:41, 51; 20:2; Yos 24:5; Mdo 7:34; 1Sam 12:6, 8; Za 105:26; Kum 4:20; 1Fal 8:16; Mik 6:4Basi, sasa nenda. Ninakutuma kwa Farao ili kuwatoa watu wangu Waisraeli kutoka Misri.”
113:11 Kut 4:10; 6:12, 30; Yer 1:6; Amu 6:15; 1Sam 9:21; 15:17; 18:18; 2Sam 7:18; 2Nya 2:6; Isa 6:5Lakini Mose akamwambia Mungu, “Mimi ni nani hata niende kwa Farao kuwatoa Waisraeli nchini Misri?”
123:12 Mwa 26:3; Kut 14:22; Rum 8:31; Hes 26:10; Yos 2:12; Amu 6:17; Za 86:17; Isa 7:14; 8:18; 20:3; Yer 44:29; Mdo 7:7Naye Mungu akasema, “Mimi nitakuwa pamoja nawe. Hii itakuwa ishara kwako kwamba ni Mimi nimekutuma: Hapo utakapokuwa umewatoa watu Misri, mtamwabudu Mungu katika mlima huu.”
133:13 Mwa 32:29Mose akamwambia Mungu, “Ikiwa nitawaendea Waisraeli na kuwaambia, ‘Mungu wa baba zenu amenituma kwenu,’ nao wakiniuliza, ‘Jina lake ni nani?’ Nitawaambia nini?”
143:14 Kut 6:2-3; Yn 8:58; Ebr 13:8; Ufu 1:8; 4:8Mungu akamwambia Mose, “Mimi niko ambaye niko. Hivyo ndivyo utakavyowaambia Waisraeli: ‘Mimi niko amenituma kwenu.’ ”
153:15 Mwa 31:42; 24:12; Dan 2:23; Kut 6:3, 7; 15:3; 23:21; 34:5-7; Law 24:11; Kum 28:58; Za 30:4; 83:18; 96:2; 97:12; 135:13; 145:21; 45:17; 72:17; 102:12; Isa 42:8; Yer 16:21; 32:2; Hos 12:5Vilevile Mungu akamwambia Mose, “Waambie Waisraeli, ‘Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu, Mungu wa Abrahamu, Mungu wa Isaki, na Mungu wa Yakobo amenituma kwenu.’ Hili ndilo Jina langu milele, Jina ambalo mtanikumbuka kwalo kutoka kizazi hadi kizazi.
163:16 Kut 4:29, 31; 17:5; Law 4:15; Hes 16:25; 11:16; Kum 5:23; 19:12; Amu 8:14; Rut 4:2; Mit 31:23; Eze 8:11; Mwa 24:12; 2Fal 19:16; 2Nya 6:20; Za 33:18; 66:7“Nenda, ukawakusanye wazee wa Israeli, uwaambie, ‘Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu, Mungu wa Abrahamu, Isaki na Yakobo, alinitokea akaniambia: Nimewatazama, nami nimeona mliyofanyiwa katika Misri. 173:17 Mwa 15:16; 46:4; Kut 6:6Nami nimeahidi kuwapandisha kutoka mateso yenu katika nchi ya Misri, niwapeleke nchi ya Wakanaani, Wahiti, Waamori, Waperizi, Wahivi na Wayebusi, nchi itiririkayo maziwa na asali.’
183:18 Kut 4:1, 8; 31:6; 6:12, 30; 4:23; 5:1-3; 6:11; 7:16; 9:13; 8:20, 27; 10:9, 26; Mwa 14:13; 30:26; Hes 23:4, 16“Wazee wa Israeli watakusikiliza. Kisha wewe na wazee mtakwenda kwa mfalme wa Misri na kumwambia, ‘Bwana, Mungu wa Waebrania ametutokea. Turuhusu twende safari ya siku tatu huko jangwani kutoa dhabihu kwa Bwana Mungu wetu.’ 193:19 Kut 4:21; 6:6; 7:3; 10:1; 11:9; Kum 4:34; 2Nya 6:32Lakini nafahamu kwamba mfalme wa Misri hatawaruhusu kwenda, mpaka mkono wenye nguvu umlazimishe. 203:20 Kut 6:16; 7:4-5; 9:15; 13:3-9, 14-16; 11:1; 12:31-33; 4:21; 15:11; Kum 4:34; 5:15; 7:8; 26:8; 3:24; 6:22; 2Fal 17:36; 2Nya 6:32; Za 118:15-16; 136:12; 71:19; 72:18; 77:14; 78:43; 86:10; 105:27; 106:22; Isa 41:10; 63:12; Yer 21:5; 51:25; 30:20; Mik 7:15; Mdo 7:36; Dan 9:15; Hes 14:11; Neh 9:10Kwa hiyo nitaunyoosha mkono wangu na kuwapiga Wamisri kwa maajabu yote nitakayofanya miongoni mwao. Baada ya hayo, atawaruhusu mwondoke.
213:21 Mwa 39:21; Kut 11:2; 2Nya 30:9; Neh 1:11; Za 105:37; 106:46; Yer 42:12“Nami nitawapa hawa watu upendeleo mbele ya Wamisri, kwa hiyo mtakapoondoka nchini hamtaondoka mikono mitupu. 223:22 Ay 27:16-17; Kut 11:2; 12:35; Ezr 1:4-6; 7:16; Mwa 15:14; Eze 39:10; 29:10; Za 105:37Kila mwanamke Mwisraeli atamwomba jirani yake Mmisri na mwanamke yeyote anayeishi nyumbani kwake ampe vyombo vya fedha, dhahabu na nguo, ambavyo mtawavika wana wenu na binti zenu. Hivyo mtawateka nyara Wamisri.”
