Moses at the burning bush; you have probably heard this story, hopefully you have read the Bible and net just seen the movies. You may have colored pictures of this event in a children’s Sunday School class at some point . Let’s make sure we have read it and not just rely on our head canon. Moses will make a total of five objections after God tells him to appear before Pharaoh and lead his people out of Egypt. We will see the first two in this chapter and get to the others tomorrow.

Below is what I am reading. If you want to know what I look at when preparing to read a chapter of the Bible, it’s the KJV text plus each of these, all at the same time. If you ever want to see a single verse in every English translation there is, Bible Hub is better suited for that.

Exodus 3 

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and while the bush burned with fire it was not consumed.

3 Moses said “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 

4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said “Moses, Moses.” And he said “Here I am.” 

5 And he said “Do not come closer: take your sandals off of your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”  

6 And he said “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 Now the cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 Therefore go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11 Moses said to God “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12 And he said “Certainly I will be with you, and this will be a sign to you, that I have sent you: When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’  they will say to me “What is his name?’ what shall I say unto them?” 

14 God said to Moses “I Am That I Am.” And he said “You will say this to the children of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses “Say to the children of Israel ‘the Lord 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 my memorial to all generations.’

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

17 And I have said ‘I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

18 And they will listen to your voice. And you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us go, we beg of you, three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in it, and after that he will let you go.

21 I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians and when you go you will not go empty handed. 

22 But every woman shall borrow from her neighbor, and of her that stays in her house, jewels of silver and gold, and clothing: and you shall put them on your sons, and your daughters; and you will plunder the Egyptians.”