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.
Moses ta ifanwa kuKalunga
1 Ndele Moses okwa lifa oimuna yaxemweno Jetro, omupristeli waMidian. Ndelenee efiku limwe ye eshi a twalele oimuna langhele kwinya kouninginino wombuwa, okwe uya komhunda yaKalunga nokutya Horeb. 2 Opo nee omweengeli wOmwene okwe mu lihololela momutemo womundilo moshixwa sheno. Ndele ye eshi a tala ko shili, oshixwa sheno osha xwama omundilo, ndelenee inashi lungwina po komundilo! 3 Ndele Moses ta ti: “Onda hala ndi ehene ko popepi ndi tale emoniko eli linene, omolwashike oshixwa sheno itashi lungwina po.” 4 Omwene eshi a mona ta ehene po e shi tale, Kalunga okwe mu ifana, ta popi moshixwa sheno ta ti: “Moses, Moses!” Ndele ye ta nyamukula: “Aame ou!” 5 Ndele Ye ta ti: “Ino ehena oku. Dula ko eenghaku keemhadi doye, osheshi onhele apa u li ofika oyo edu liyapuki.” 6 Ye ta ti vali: “Aame Kalunga kooxo, Kalunga kaAbraham, Kalunga kaIsak naKalunga kaJakob.” Opo nee Moses okwa uvika oshipala shaye, osheshi okwa tila okutala Kalunga.
7 NOmwene ta ti: “Ame onda mona okuhepekwa kwoshiwana shange, eshi shi li muEgipiti. Naame onda uda onghuwo yavo omolwovafininiki, heeno, ondi wete oudjuu wavo. 8 Onghee nde uya poshi, ndi va kulile mo meke lOvaegipiti, nondi va twale medu linya, medu liwa nola mbwalangadja, medu li yadi omashini nomaadi eenyiki, medu omo Ovakaanan nOvaheti nOvaamori nOvaperesi nOvahevi nOvajebusi ve li mo. 9 Ndele paife tala, onghuwo nekemo lOvaisraeli oya fika kwaame. Nonda mona yo ehepeko nalo Ovaegipiti tave va hepeke. 10 Hano inda ko, Ame ohandi ku tumu kuFarao, u pitife mo muEgipiti oshiwana shange Ovaisraeli.” 11 Ndelenee Moses okwa lombwela Kalunga ta ti: “Aame omushike ndi ye kuFarao, nondi pitife mo Ovaisraeli muEgipiti?” 12 Ndele Ye ta nyamukula: “Ame ohandi ka kala pamwe naave, naashi tashi ningi edidiliko kwoove nokutya, Ame nde ku tuma ko: ove eshi wa pitifa mo oshiwana muEgipiti, vo otava ka longela Kalunga komhunda tuu ei.”
13 Opo nee Moses okwa lombwela Kalunga ta ti: “Ndelenee ame ngeenge handi i kOvaisraeli ndele handi va lombwele: ‘Kalunga kooxo okwa tuma nge kunye,’ ndele tava pula nge: ‘Olyelye edina laye?’ Ohandi va nyamukula shike?” 14 Ndele Kalunga ta ti kuMoses: “Aame tuu Ame. U nokunyamukula Ovaisraeli u tye ngaha: ‘Aame tuu Ame,’ a tuma nge kunye.” 15 Opo nee Kalunga okwa lombwela vali Moses ta ti: “Odo u noku di shiivifila Ovaisraeli: ‘Omwene Kalunga kooxo, Kalunga kaAbraham naKalunga kaIsak naKalunga kaJakob okwa tuma nge kunye.’ Olo edina lange fiyo alushe nalo Ame handi ifanwa kepupi fiyo okepupi. 16 Inda ko u shivile ko ovakulunhu vOvaisraeli noku va lombwela: ‘Omwene, Kalunga kooxo okwe liholola kwaame, Kalunga kaAbraham, kaIsak nokaJakob.’ ” Ndele okwa tya: “Oshili Ame ohandi mu pashukile noku mu kalela noshisho nokutala eshi tashi mu ningilwa muEgipiti. 17 Onghee hano onda tokola mwaame kutya: ‘Ame onda hala oku mu pitifa mo moudjuu womuEgipiti noku mu twala medu lOvakaanan nolOvaheti nolOvaamori nolOvaperesi nolOvahevi nolOvajebusi, moshilongo shi yadi omashini nomaadi eenyiki.’
18 “Ndele vo otave ke ku uda. Opo nee nye novakulunhu vOvaisraeli mu nokuya kohamba yaEgipiti, nomu noku i lombwela: ‘Omwene Kalunga kOvaheberi okwe tu shakeneka. Hano tu lekela paife, fye tu ka ende omafiku atatu kombuwa tu ka yandjele Omwene Kalunga ketu omayambo.’ 19 Ndelenee Ame ondi shi shii nokutya, ohamba yaEgipiti itai mu lekele nande tai fininikwa keke li neenghono. 20 Ndele Ame ohandi ka nanena kombada yaEgipiti eke lange nohandi ke va monifila oikumwifa nomadidiliko aa handi ka ningila ko, opo nee ye ote mu lekele mu dje mo.
21 “Ndele oshiwana eshi Ame ohandi ke shi filifa onghenda kOvaegipiti, opo ngeenge tamu ka dja mo, itamu ka dja mo hamakasha, 22 ndelenee keshe omwalikadi e nokweehela omushiinda shaye naava ve li meumbo laye oinima oisiliveli noingoldo noikutu. Ndele nye otamu i humbatifa ovana veni ovamati noukadona; nosho ngaha tamu ka kufa oihakanwa kOvaegipiti.”
