Shemot

Shemot 1:1 - 6:1

Shemot 1:1 And these are the names of the children of Yisra’ĕl who came to Mitsrayim with Yaʽakov, each one with his household:
Shemot 1:2 Re’uḇĕn, Shimʽon, Lĕwi, and Yehuḏah;
Shemot 1:3 Yissasḵar, Zeḇulun, and Binyamin;
Shemot 1:4 Dan and Naphtali, Gaḏ and Ashĕr.
Shemot 1:5 And all those who were descendants of Yaʽakov were seventy beings, as Yosĕph was already in Mitsrayim.
Shemot 1:6 And Yosĕph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation.
Shemot 1:7 And the children of Yisra’ĕl bore fruit and increased very much, multiplied and became very strong, and the land was filled with them.
Shemot 1:8 Then a new sovereign arose over Mitsrayim, who did not know Yosĕph,
Shemot 1:9 and he said to his people, “See, the people of the children of Yisra’ĕl are more and stronger than we,
Shemot 1:10 come, let us act wisely towards them, lest they increase, and it shall be when fighting befalls us, that they shall join our enemies and fight against us, and shall go up out of the land.”
Shemot 1:11 So they set slave-masters over them to afflict them with their burdens, and they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raʽamses.
Shemot 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they increased and grew, and they were in dread of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Shemot 1:13 And the Mitsrites made the children of Yisra’ĕl serve with harshness,
Shemot 1:14 and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all kinds of work in the field, all their work which they made them do was with harshness.
Shemot 1:15 Then the sovereign of Mitsrayim spoke to the Heḇrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puʽah,
Shemot 1:16 and he said, “When you deliver the Heḇrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death, but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
Shemot 1:17 But the midwives feared Elohim, and did not do as the sovereign of Mitsrayim commanded them, and kept the male children alive.
Shemot 1:18 So the sovereign of Mitsrayim called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and kept the male children alive?”
Shemot 1:19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Heḇrew women are not like the Mitsrite women. For they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
Shemot 1:20 So Elohim was good to the midwives, and the people increased and became very numerous.
Shemot 1:21 And it came to be, because the midwives feared Elohim, that He provided households for them.
Shemot 1:22 And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Throw every son who is born into the river, and keep alive every daughter.”
Shemot 2:1 And a man of the house of Lĕwi went and married a daughter of Lĕwi.
Shemot 2:2 And the woman conceived and bore a son. And she saw that he was a lovely child, and she hid him three months.
Shemot 2:3 And when she could hide him no longer, she took an ark of wicker for him, and coated it with tar and pitch, and put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the edge of the river.
Shemot 2:4 And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him.
Shemot 2:5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her young women were walking by the river-side. And when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her female slave to get it,
Shemot 2:6 and opened it and saw the child, and see, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the children of the Heḇrews.”
Shemot 2:7 And his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Heḇrew women to nurse the child for you?”
Shemot 2:8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” And the girl went and called the child’s mother.
Shemot 2:9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, then I shall pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
Shemot 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Mosheh, saying, “Because I have drawn him out of the water.”
Shemot 2:11 And in those days it came to be, when Mosheh was grown, that he went out to his brothers and looked at their burdens. And he saw a Mitsrite beating a Heḇrew, one of his brothers.
Shemot 2:12 So he turned this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he smote the Mitsrite and hid him in the sand.
Shemot 2:13 And he went out the second day and saw two Heḇrew men fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why do you smite your neighbour?”
Shemot 2:14 And he said, “Who made you a head and a judge over us? Do you intend to slay me as you slew the Mitsrite?” And Mosheh feared and said, “Truly, the matter is known!”
Shemot 2:15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter, and he sought to kill Mosheh. But Mosheh fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Miḏyan. And he sat down by a well.
Shemot 2:16 And the priest of Miḏyan had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock,
Shemot 2:17 but the shepherds came and drove them away. Then Mosheh stood up and came to their rescue, and watered their flock.
Shemot 2:18 And they came to Reʽuw’ĕl their father, and he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”
Shemot 2:19 And they said, “A Mitsrite rescued us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”
Shemot 2:20 And he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him and let him eat bread.”
Shemot 2:21 And Mosheh agreed to dwell with the man, and he gave Tsipporah his daughter to Mosheh.
Shemot 2:22 And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gĕreshom, for he said, “I have become a sojourner in a foreign land.”
Shemot 2:23 And it came to be after these many days that the sovereign of Mitsrayim died. And the children of Yisra’ĕl groaned because of the slavery, and they cried out. And their cry came up to Elohim because of the slavery.
Shemot 2:24 And Elohim heard their groaning, and Elohim remembered His covenant with Av̱raham, with Yitzchak, and with Yaʽakov̱.
Shemot 2:25 And Elohim looked on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and Elohim knew!
Shemot 3:1 And Mosheh was shepherding the flock of Yithro his father-in-law, the priest of Miḏyan. And he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.
Shemot 3:2 And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. And he looked and saw the bush burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
Shemot 3:3 And Mosheh said, “Let me turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Shemot 3:4 And יהוה saw that he turned aside to see, and Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Mosheh! Mosheh!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Shemot 3:5 And He said, “Do not come near here. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is kadosh ground.”
Shemot 3:6 And He said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Av̱raham, the Elohim of Yitzchak, and the Elohim of Yaʽakov.” And Mosheh hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim.
Shemot 3:7 And יהוה said, “I have indeed seen the oppression of My people who are in Mitsrayim, and have heard their cry because of their slave-drivers, for I know their sorrows.
Shemot 3:8 “And I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Mitsrites, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Kenaʽanites and the Ḥittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites.
Shemot 3:9 “And now, see, the cry of the children of Yisra’ĕl has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Mitsrites oppress them.
Shemot 3:10 “And now, come, I am sending you to Pharaoh, to bring My people, the children of Yisra’ĕl, out of Mitsrayim.”
Shemot 3:11 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim?”
Shemot 3:12 And He said, “Because I am with you. And this is to you the sign that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Mitsrayim, you are to serve Elohim on this mountain.”
Shemot 3:13 And Mosheh said to Elohim, “See, when I come to the children of Yisra’ĕl and say to them, ‘The Elohim of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His Name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Shemot 3:14 And Elohim said to Mosheh, “I am that which I am.”1 And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

Footnote: 1The Heḇrew text reads: ’eyeh ’asher ’eyeh, the word ’eyeh being derived from hayah which means to be, to exist, but the Aramaic text here in v. 14 reads: ayah ashar ayah. This is not His Name, but it is an explanation that leads up to the revelation of His Name in v. 15, namely: יהוה.

Shemot 3:15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Av̱raham, the Elohim of Yitzchak, and the Elohim of Yaʽakov̱, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’
Shemot 3:16 “Go, and you shall gather the elders of Yisra’ĕl together, and say to them, ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abvraham, of Yitzchak, and of Yaʽakov, appeared to me, saying, “I have indeed visited you and seen what is done to you in Mitsrayim;
Shemot 3:17 and I say: I am bringing you up out of the affliction of Mitsrayim to the land of the Kenaʽanite and the Ḥittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Ḥiwwite and the Yeḇusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
Shemot 3:18 “And they shall listen to your voice. And you shall come, you and the elders of Yisra’ĕl, to the sovereign of Mitsrayim, and you shall say to him, ‘יהוה Elohim of the Heḇrews has met with us. And now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness to slaughter to יהוה our Elohim.’
Shemot 3:19 “But I know that the sovereign of Mitsrayim is not going to let you go, not even by a strong hand.
Shemot 3:20 “And I shall stretch out My hand and smite Mitsrayim with all My wonders which I shall do in its midst. And after that he shall let you go.
Shemot 3:21 “And I shall give this people favour in the eyes of the Mitsrites. And it shall be, that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.
Shemot 3:22 “But every woman shall ask from her neighbour and from the stranger in her house, objects of silver, and objects of gold, and garments. And you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters, and shall plunder the Mitsrites.”
Shemot 4:1 And Mosheh answered and said, “And if they do not believe me, nor listen to my voice, and say, ‘יהוה has not appeared to you?’ ”
Shemot 4:2 And יהוה said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A rod.”
Exo 4:3 And He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent. And Mosheh fled from it.
Shemot 4:4 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” – so he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand –
Shemot 4:5 so that they believe that יהוה Elohim of their fathers, the Elohim of Av̱raham, the Elohim of Yitzchak, and the Elohim of Yaʽakov̱, has appeared to you.”
Shemot 4:6 And יהוה said to him again, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, and see, his hand was leprous, like snow.
Shemot 4:7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and see, it was restored like his other flesh.
Shemot 4:8 “And it shall be, if they do not believe you, nor listen to the voice of the first sign, they shall believe the voice of the latter sign.
Shemot 4:9 “And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river shall become blood on the dry land.”
Shemot 4:10 And Mosheh said to יהוה, “O יהוה, I am not a man of words, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
Shemot 4:11 And יהוה said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, יהוה?
Shemot 4:12 “And now, go, and I shall be with your mouth and teach you what to say.”
Shemot 4:13 But he said, “O יהוה, please send by the hand of him whom You would send.”
Shemot 4:14 And the displeasure of יהוה burned against Mosheh, and He said, “Is not Aharon the Lĕwite your brother? I know that he speaks well. And see, he is also coming out to meet you. And when he sees you, he shall be glad in his heart.
Shemot 4:15 “And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I am with your mouth and with his mouth, and I shall teach you what to do.
Shemot 4:16 “And he shall speak for you to the people. And it shall be that he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be an elohim1 for him.

Footnote: 1Or mighty one, which is proof that elohim is but a title, indicating order or authority – it is not a proper name.

Shemot 4:17 “And take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Shemot 4:18 Then Mosheh went and returned to Yithro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Mitsrayim to see whether they are still alive.” And Yithro said to Mosheh, “Go in peace.”
Shemot 4:19 And יהוה said to Mosheh in Miḏyan, “Go, return to Mitsrayim, for all the men are dead who sought your life.”
Shemot 4:20 So Mosheh took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Mitsrayim. And Mosheh took the rod of Elohim in his hand.
Shemot 4:21 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “As you go back to Mitsrayim, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I am going to harden his heart, so that he does not let the people go.
Shemot 4:22 “And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus said יהוה, “Yisra’ĕl is My son, My first-born,
Shemot 4:23 so I say to you, let My son go to serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, see, I am killing your son, your first-born.” ’ ”
Shemot 4:24 And it came to be on the way, in the lodging place, that יהוה met him and sought to kill him.
Shemot 4:25 And Tsipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it at Mosheh’s feet, and said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me!”
Shemot 4:26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
Shemot 4:27 And יהוה said to Aharon, “Go to meet Mosheh in the wilderness.” And he went and met him on the mountain of Elohim, and kissed him.
Shemot 4:28 Mosheh then told Aharon all the words of יהוה who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
Shemot 4:29 And Mosheh went with Aharon and gathered together all the elders of the children of Yisra’ĕl.
Shemot 4:30 And Aharon spoke all the words which יהוה had spoken to Mosheh. Then he did the signs before the eyes of the people.
Shemot 4:31 And the people believed. And they heard that יהוה had visited the children of Yisra’ĕl and that He had looked on their affliction, and they bowed their heads and did obeisance.
Shemot 5:1 And afterwards Mosheh and Aharon went in and said to Pharaoh, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Let My people go, so that they keep a Chag to Me in the wilderness.’ ” (B'midbar)
Shemot 5:2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is יהוה, that I should obey His voice to let Yisra’ĕl go? I do not know יהוה, nor am I going to let Yisra’ĕl go.”
Shemot 5:3 And they said, “The Elohim of the Heḇrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness and slaughter to יהוה our Elohim, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Shemot 5:4 But the sovereign of Mitsrayim said to them, “Mosheh and Aharon, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
Shemot 5:5 And Pharaoh said, “See, the people of the land are many now, and you make them cease from their burdens!”
Shemot 5:6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the slave-drivers of the people and their foremen, saying,
Shemot 5:7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
Shemot 5:8 “And lay on them the required amount of bricks which they made before, do not diminish it. For they are idle, that is why they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and slaughter to our Elohim.’
Shemot 5:9 “Let more work be laid on the men, so that they labour in it, and not pay attention to words of falsehood.”
Shemot 5:10 And the slave-drivers of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus said Pharaoh, ‘I do not give you straw.
Shemot 5:11 ‘Go, take straw for yourselves, wherever you find it, for your work shall not be diminished.’ ”
Shemot 5:12 And the people were scattered in all the land of Mitsrayim – to gather stubble for straw.
Shemot 5:13 And the slave-drivers were hurrying them on, saying, “Complete your work, your daily amount, as when there was straw.”
Shemot 5:14 Also the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl, whom Pharaoh’s slave-drivers had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your task in making bricks both yesterday and today, as before?”
Shemot 5:15 And the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your slaves this way?
Shemot 5:16 “There is no straw given to your slaves, and they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And see, your slaves are beaten, but your own people are at fault.”
Shemot 5:17 But he said, “You are idle! You are idle! That is why you say, ‘Let us go and slaughter to יהוה.’
Shemot 5:18 “So now go, work. And straw is not given to you, but deliver the amount of bricks.”
Shemot 5:19 And the foremen of the children of Yisra’ĕl saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You are not to diminish your daily amount of bricks.”
Shemot 5:20 And when they came out from Pharaoh, they met Mosheh and Aharon who stood there to meet them.
Shemot 5:21 And they said to them, “Let יהוה look on you and judge, because you have made us loathsome in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to give a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Shemot 5:22 And Mosheh returned to יהוה and said, “יהוה, why have You done evil to this people? Why did You send me?
Shemot 5:23 “For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your Name, he has done evil to this people. And You have not delivered Your people at all.”
Shemot 6:1 And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Now see what I do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he is going to let them go, and with a strong hand he is going to drive them out of his land.”