Bible Study Group

  Moses and the Burning Bush 1. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.   2  There the angel of the  Lord  appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.   3  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4  When the  Lord  saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5  “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”   6  Then he said, “I am the God of your father, [ a ]  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was ...

  The Birth of Moses 1. Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,   2  and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.   3  But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket [ a ]  for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.   4  His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. 5  Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.   6  She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. 7  Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8...

  1  These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:   2  Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;   3  Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;   4  Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.   5  The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy [ a ]  in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6  Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,   7  but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 8  Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.   9  “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.   10  Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11  So they put sla...

1   Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.   2  Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,   3  taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. 4  When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,   5  ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6  Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.” 7  So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—   8  besides all the mem...

  Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2  “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;      listen to your father Israel. 3  “Reuben, you are my firstborn,      my might, the first sign of my strength,      excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4  Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,      for you went up onto your father’s bed,      onto my couch and defiled it. 5  “Simeon and Levi are brothers—      their swords [ a ]  are weapons of violence. 6  Let me not enter their council,      let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger      and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7  Cursed be their anger, so fierce,      and their fury, ...