God Speaks to Moses
1 One day, Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Moses decided to lead them across the desert to Sinai, the holy mountain. 2 There an angel of the Lord appeared to him from a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. 3 “This is strange!” he said to himself. “I'll go over and see why the bush isn't burning up.”
4 When the Lord saw Moses coming near, he called him by name from the bush, and Moses answered, “Here I am.”
5 God replied, “Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals—the ground where you are standing is holy. 6 I am the God who was worshiped by your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Moses was afraid to look at God, and so he hid his face.
7 The Lord said:
I have seen how my people are suffering as slaves in Egypt, and I have heard them beg for my help because of the way they are being mistreated. I feel sorry for them, 8 and I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians.
I will bring my people out of Egypt into a country where there is a lot of good land, rich with milk and honey. I will give them the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. 9 My people have begged for my help, and I have seen how cruel the Egyptians are to them. 10 Now go to the king! I am sending you to lead my people out of his country.
11 But Moses said, “Who am I to go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?”
12 God replied, “I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt.”
13 Moses answered, “I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?”
14-15 God said to Moses:
I am the eternal God. So tell them that the Lord, whose name is “I Am,” has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.
16 Call together the leaders of Israel and tell them that the God who was worshiped by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you. Tell them I have seen how terribly they are being treated in Egypt, 17 and I promise to lead them out of their troubles. I will give them a land rich with milk and honey, where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.
18 The leaders of Israel will listen to you. Then you must take them to the king of Egypt and say, “The Lord God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us walk three days into the desert, where we can offer a sacrifice to him.” 19 But I know that the king of Egypt won't let you go unless something forces him to. 20 So I will use my mighty power to perform all kinds of miracles and strike down the Egyptians. Then the king will send you away.
21 After I punish the Egyptians, they will be so afraid of you that they will give you anything you want. You are my people, and I will let you take many things with you when you leave the land of Egypt. 22 Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors or to any Egyptian woman living with them and ask them for gold and silver jewelry and for their finest clothes. The Egyptians will give them to you, and you will put these fine things on your sons and daughters. Carry all this away when you leave Egypt.
Ndzimu unodana Mushe
1 Mushe wakabe elisa pkhwizi ne mbudzi dze nkalabgwa uwe Jeturo, mpirisiti we Midiya. Limwe zhuba kanofudzila pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzidze ku ndzibo we tjilambanyika, kanoswika ku Horebu, Dombo le Ndzimu. 2 Kati ali ikoko ntumwa wa Yahwe kazwilakidza kunli ali mu nthuto we moto mu denjana. Kalinga ngono kabona denjana lithuta koga lisingatshwe. 3 Ipapo Mushe kazwidwa kati, “Ima ndiyendepo ndibone jenamiso ileli gulu, ndibone kuti ini denjana lisingatshwe.”
4 Yahwe bakati bebona kuti Mushe wasedzela kubona, Ndzimu ukan'dana uli mu denje uti, “Mushe, Mushe!” Iye kadabila eti, “Ndipano.”
5 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Usitjasedzele pejo. Ambula shangu mu makumbo awo, ngoti paumile, pathu pakayengemala.” 6 Ukadwilila uti, “Ndimi Ndzimu wa bobatategulu babo, Ndzimu wa Abhurahama, na Isaki na Jakubo.” Ipapo Mushe kazwimba buso gugwe ngoti wakabe etja kulinga Ndzimu.
7 Yahwe bakabe beti, “Ndabona kudziyila kwe bathu bangu bamu Egipiti, ndakahwa tjililo tjabo mu kudziyidziwa kwabo nge bashingisi babo. Malebeswa, ndoziba tshiyilo yabo, 8 ndizo ndadeluka kuwobasunungula mu Baegipiti, ne kubadusa mu shango iyeyije ndibayisa ku shango mbuya yakatalabuka, shango inowunga nkaka ne butji, ku shango ye Bakanana ne Bahiti ne Baamori, Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi. 9 Tjililo tje Baiziraela tjaswika kundili, nami ndakabona Baegipiti sekwa banobadziyidza. 10 Ndizo wali buya ndikutume kuna Faro unodusa bathu bangu Baiziraela mu Egipiti.”
11 Koga Mushe kabe eti ku Ndzimu, “Apa imi ndiani kene ungayenda kuna Faro kunodusa Baiziraela mu Egipiti?”
12 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Imi ndowobe ndinawe. Tjilakidzo ku kuli tjekuti ndakakutuma tjowobe etji, unowoti wadusa ibaba bathu mu Egipiti unowondinamata mu dombo ileli.”
13 Mushe kabe eti ku Ndzimu, “Ha ndingati ndiswika ku bathu be Iziraela ndibadwa nditi, ‘Ndzimu wa botate benyu wandituma kumuli,’ ngono ibo bebe bendibhuzwa beti, ‘Zina lawo ndiani?’ Imi ndowobadwa nditini?”
14 Ndzimu ukabe uti kuna Mushe, “NDI IYE WANDILI IYE.” Ngono ukadwilila ukati, “Bathu be Iziraela ubabudze etji, ‘Ndatumwa ndi IYE kumuli.’ ” 15 Ndzimu ukadwa Mushe kakale ukati, “Ubudze Baiziraela uti, ‘Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu benyu, Ndzimu wa Abhurahama, Ndzimu wa Isaki, Ndzimu wa Jakubo wandituma kumuli.’ Ileli ndilo zina langu nge kusingapele, ndizo ndowozibgwa ndilo mu zwizekugwana zose. 16 Yenda unokubunganya batungamili be Iziraela ubadwe uti, ‘Yahwe, Ndzimu wa botate benyu, Ndzimu wa Abhurahama, Ndzimu wa Isaki, Ndzimu wa Jakubo wakazha kundili ukandidwa ukati, “Ndakamulinga ngono abona zose zwamakathamigwa mu Egipiti. 17 Ndizo ndogadzabgwe kuti ndowomudusa mu kudziyidza kwe Egipiti ndimuyisa ku shango ye Bakanana ne Bahiti ne Baamori ne Baperizi ne Bahivi ne Bajebusi, shango inowunga nkaka ne butji gwe nyutji.” ’
18 “Ngono banowokuhwa, ndizo iwe ne batungamili be Iziraela mowoyenda kuna Mambo we Egipiti mube mundwa muti, ‘Yahwe Ndzimu we Bahebheru bakazwishanganya naswi, ndizo ngwenu tomukumbila, mutiletje tiyende gwendo gwe mazhuba matatu mu tjilambanyika kuti tinodusila Yahwe Ndzimu wedu tjibhayilo.’ 19 Ndoziba kuti Mambo we Egipiti aatowomuletja mukayenda kuzhe kwe kuti akombeledzwe nge simba. 20 Ndizo ndowoshingisa simba langu aloba Egipiti nge mbatsha dzose dzandinowothama muili, shule kwaipapo unowomuletja mukayenda.
21 “Ndowothama kuti Baegipiti babe ne lubu mu bathu ibaba, ndizo mowoti mubhuda amutowobhuda makalembedza maboko. 22 Nkadzi mmwe ne mmwe unowokumbila maseka e siliva ne golide ne zwiambalo mu mbakidzani naye ne muna ugele mu ng'umba iye, muzwiambadze bakololo ne bakololokadzi benyu. Ndiko kutapila Baegipiti kwamunowoyita.”