Exodus 3

The Burning Bush

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of a Jethro his father-in-law, b the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to c Horeb, d the mountain of God. 2 And e the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this f great sight, why the bush does not burn." 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called g to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. h Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." 6 Moreover He said, i "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 j he was afraid to look upon God.

7 And the LORD said: k "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry l because of their taskmasters, m for I know their 1 sorrows. 8 "So n I have come down to o deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land p to a good and large land, to a land q flowing with milk and honey, to the place of r the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 "Now therefore, behold, s the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the t oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 u "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, v "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 So He said, w "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a x sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."

13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, y 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall 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 z My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' 16 "Go and a 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, b "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 "and I have said c I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." ' 18 "Then d they will heed your voice; and e you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has f met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.' 19 "But I am sure that the king of Egypt g will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 "So I will h stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with i all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and j after that he will let you go. 21 "And k I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 l "But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, m articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So n you shall plunder the Egyptians."

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 4:18
    So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace.
  2. Cross References
    Exodus 2:16
    Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 17:6
    Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
    1 Kings 19:8
    So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 18:5
    And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God.
  5. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 33:16
    With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
    Mark 12:26
    But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ?
    Luke 20:37
    "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
    Acts 7:30
    And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
  6. Cross References
    Acts 7:31
    When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him.
  7. Cross References
    Exodus 4:5
    "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."
    Deuteronomy 33:16
    With the precious things of the earth and its fullness, And the favor of Him who dwelt in the bush. Let the blessing come 'on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.
  8. Cross References
    Joshua 5:15
    Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
    Acts 7:33
    Then the LORD said to him, "Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
  9. Cross References
    Genesis 28:13
    And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "...
    Exodus 3:16
    Go and gather the elders of Israel together, an...
    Exodus 4:5
    "that they may believe that the LORD God of the...
    Matthew 22:32
    'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and...
    Mark 12:26
    But concerning the dead, that they rise, have y...
    Mark 12:27
    "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of ...
    Luke 20:37
    "But even Moses showed in the burning bush pass...
    Luke 20:38
    "For He is not the God of the dead but of the l...
    Acts 7:32
    Saying, 'I am the God of your fathers - the God...
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 19:13
    So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 2:23 - 25
    Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
    Nehemiah 9:9
    You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, And heard their cry by the Red Sea.
    Psalms 106:44
    Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry.
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 1:11
    Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 18:21
    "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
    Exodus 2:25
    And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 15:13 - 16
    Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
    Genesis 46:4
    "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."
    Genesis 50:24
    And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
    Genesis 50:25
    Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.
  15. Cross References
    Exodus 6:6 - 8
    Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
    Exodus 12:51
    And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.
  16. Cross References
    Numbers 13:27
    Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
    Deuteronomy 1:25
    "They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ' It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.'
    Deuteronomy 8:7 - 9
    For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills.
    Joshua 3:17
    Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 3:17
    "and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey."'
    Exodus 13:5
    And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
    Jeremiah 11:5
    "that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them 'a land flowing with milk and honey,' as it is this day." ' " And I answered and said, "So be it, LORD."
    Ezekiel 20:6
    On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, 'flowing with milk and honey,' the glory of all lands.
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 15:19 - 21
    The Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites.
    Joshua 24:11
    Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you - also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 2:23
    Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
  20. Cross References
    Exodus 1:11
    Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
    Exodus 1:13
    So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
    Exodus 1:14
    And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage - in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
  21. Cross References
    Genesis 15:13
    Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that you...
    Genesis 15:14
    And also the nation whom they serve I will judg...
    Exodus 12:40
    Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who l...
    Exodus 12:41
    And it came to pass at the end of the four hund...
    Micah 6:4
    For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I ...
    Acts 7:6
    But God spoke in this way: that his descendants...
    Acts 7:7
    'And the nation to whom they will be in bondage...
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 4:10
    Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.
    Exodus 6:12
    And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?
    1 Samuel 18:18
    So David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
  23. Cross References
    Genesis 31:3
    Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the lan...
    Exodus 4:12
    "Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mou...
    Exodus 4:15
    Now you shall speak to him and put the words in...
    Exodus 33:14 - 16
    And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and...
    Deuteronomy 31:23
    Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and ...
    Joshua 1:5
    No man shall be able to stand before you all th...
    Isaiah 43:2
    When you pass through the waters, I will be wit...
    Romans 8:31
    What then shall we say to these things? If God ...
  24. Cross References
    Exodus 4:8
    Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
    Exodus 19:3
    And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 6:3
    I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ...
    John 8:24
    "Therefore I said to you that you will die in y...
    John 8:28
    Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the ...
    John 8:58
    Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to y...
    Hebrews 13:8
    Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and ...
    Revelation 1:8
    " I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning a...
    Revelation 4:8
    The four living creatures, each having six wing...
  26. Cross References
    Psalms 30:4
    Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
    Psalms 97:12
    Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
    Psalms 102:12
    But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
    Psalms 135:13
    Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD, throughout all generations.
    Hosea 12:5
    That is, the LORD God of hosts. The LORD is His memorable name.
  27. Cross References
    Exodus 4:29
    Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
  28. Cross References
    Genesis 50:24
    And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
    Exodus 2:25
    And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
    Exodus 4:31
    So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
    Psalms 33:18
    Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy.
    Luke 1:68
    Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people.
  29. Cross References
    Genesis 15:13 - 21
    Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.
    Genesis 46:4
    "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."
    Genesis 50:24
    And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
    Genesis 50:25
    Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.
  30. Cross References
    Exodus 4:31
    So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
  31. Cross References
    Exodus 5:1
    Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'
    Exodus 5:3
    So they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.
  32. Cross References
    Numbers 23:3
    Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a desolate height.
    Numbers 23:4
    And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
    Numbers 23:15
    And he said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.
    Numbers 23:16
    Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, "Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.
  33. Cross References
    Exodus 5:2
    And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.
  34. Cross References
    Exodus 6:6
    Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
    Exodus 9:15
    Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.
  35. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 6:22
    And the LORD showed signs and wonders before ou...
    Nehemiah 9:10
    You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, A...
    Psalms 105:27
    They performed His signs among them, And wonder...
    Psalms 135:9
    He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you...
    Jeremiah 32:20
    You have set signs and wonders in the land of E...
    Acts 7:36
    He brought them out, after he had shown wonders...
  36. Cross References
    Exodus 11:1
    And the LORD said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.
    Exodus 12:31 - 37
    Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said.
  37. Cross References
    Exodus 11:3
    And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight...
    Exodus 12:36
    And the LORD had given the people favor in the ...
    1 Kings 8:50
    And forgive Your people who have sinned against...
    Psalms 105:37
    He also brought them out with silver and gold, ...
    Psalms 106:46
    He also made them to be pitied By all those who...
    Proverbs 16:7
    When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes eve...
  38. Cross References
    Exodus 11:2
    "Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold."
  39. Cross References
    Exodus 33:6
    So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
  40. Cross References
    Job 27:17
    He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.
    Proverbs 13:22
    A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
    Ezekiel 39:10
    They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them," says the Lord GOD.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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