Bible Verse Lookup

Slavery and Genoside

Here are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:

Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah,

Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin,

Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.

These descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in total; apart from these, Joseph was already in Egypt.

Then Joseph died, along with all his brothers and that entire generation.

The sons of Israel were fruitful and kept multiplying. They grew so numerous and substantial that the land was filled with them.

Then a new king who had not known Joseph came to power

and said to his people:

“The Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are.

Let us deal warily with them lest they increase still more and, in case of war, side with our enemy, fight against us, and escape from the land.”

So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. In this way, they built the storage towns of Pithom and Raamses.

Go now! I will be on your lips and will inspire what you say.”

But the more they oppressed the Hebrews, the more they increased and spread until the Egyptians feared the Israelites

and became cruel in forcing them to work.

They made life hard for them with demanding labor involving bricks, mortar, and all sorts of outdoor work. In all their toil, the Egyptians treated them harshly.

Then the king of Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives—one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah:

that when they assisted Hebrew women on the birthing stool and observed that it was a boy, they were to kill it, but if it was a girl, they were to let it live.

But the midwives feared God and did not follow the king of Egypt’s command; instead, they let the children live.

The king summoned the midwives and asked:

“Why have you acted like that and let the children live?”

The midwives answered:

Because the Hebrew women are different from Egyptian women, they are vigorous and give birth even before a midwife arrives.

God blessed the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew even more numerous.

Because the midwives feared God, he granted them families.

Pharaoh then issued this command to all the people:

“Every male infant born to the Hebrews must be thrown into the Nile, but every girl may live.”

Exactly two months after the Israelites had left Egypt, they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai.

They arrived there, having come from Rephidim, and camped in the wilderness of Sinai.

The Israelites camped there in front of the mountain, but Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying:

“This is what you are to say and to explain to the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.

Now, if you listen to me and keep my Covenant, you shall be my very own possession among all the nations. For all the earth is mine,

but you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me.”

And he added, “This is what you are to say to the people of Israel.”

So Moses summoned all the elders of the people and related to them all that the Lord had commanded him to say.

All the people responded with one voice:

“All that the Lord has said, we will do.”

Moses then brought back to the Lord the people’s response.

The Lord spoke to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud so that the people may hear me speaking with you and trust you always.”

Then Moses related to the Lord what the people had said.

Theophany

Again, the Lord spoke to Moses:

“Go to the people and have them sanctified today and tomorrow; let them wash their garments

and be ready for the third day. On the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

You will fix a limit for the people all around, saying: ‘Take care not to go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain will die.

No hand shall touch him, but he will be stoned or shot down by arrows; be it man or beast, he shall not live.’ Some of them may go up to the mountain only when the ram’s horn sounds.”

Moses came down from the mountain to the people and purified them, and they washed their garments.

He then said to the people:

“Be ready in three days and abstain from sexual relations.”

On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud over the mountain, and a thunderous trumpet blast was heard. All the people in the camp trembled.

¹⁷ Moses then led the people out of the camp to meet God and stand at the foot of the mountain.

Mount Sinai was completely covered in smoke because the Lord had come down in a fire, and the smoke rose as from a furnace. The whole mountain shook violently,

while the trumpet’s blast became louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God replied in thunder.

When the Lord had come down to the summit of Mount Sinai, God called Moses, who went to the summit

where the Lord said to him:

“Go down and give this warning to the people, lest they rush to see the Lord and many of them perish.

Even the priests who come near the Lord must purify themselves lest the Lord break out against them.”

Moses answered the Lord:

“The people cannot ascend Mount Sinai because you ordered us to put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.”

The Lord replied:

“Go down and bring up Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”

So Moses went down to the people and said to them…