Page images
PDF
EPUB

his name MOSES. For there is a God who protects us when we are helpless Infants; and he will guide us too, when we are grown up, if we will pray for his protection, and deserve it.-Moses was the first and greatest Prophet that ever lived; but no man was more meek and humble; he wrote the first five Books of the Bible.

And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his Brethren and looked on their burthens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew wrongfully, and he slew the Egyptian.-And for this Pharaoh sought his life, and he fled into the Land of Midian, and sat down by a Well.

Now Jethro, the Priest of Midian, had seven Daughters, and they came and drew Water and filled the trough, to water their Father's flock.-And the Shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered the flock. And Jethro invited Moses and he dwelt with him, and Jethro gave Moses his Daughter Zipporah for his Wife.

And it came to pass that the King of Egypt died, and the Children of Israel cried unto God in their bondage, and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the Children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

CHAPTER 22.

GOD APPEARS TO MOSES.

Now Moses kept the flocks of Jethro his Father in Law, and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the Mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a Bush, and the Bush burned with fire, but was not consumed. And God

[ocr errors]

called and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And God said, Draw nigh hither, put off thy Shoes from off thy Feet, for the place whereon thou standest is Holy Ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy Father; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Moses hid his face. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people, and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and bring them into a good land and a large, the Land of Canaan-and I will send thee unto Pharaoh. And Moses said, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be a token, when ye have brought forth the People out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this Mountain. And Moses said, Behold when I say The God of your Fathers hath sent me, and they say What is his Name, what shall I y? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: Thus shalt thou say, I AM hath sent me unto you. And the King of Egypt will not let you go, but I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders, and then he will let you go.

say

And Moses said, They will not believe me nor hearken unto my voice. And the Lord said, What is that in thine hand? and he said a rod. And God said, Cast it on the ground, and he cast it on the ground, and it became a Serpent, and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail, and he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. And Moses said, My Lord I am not eloquent; but the Lord said, who hath made man's mouth, or who made the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind; have not I, the Lord?

Now therefore go, and I will be with thee, and teach thee what thou shalt say; and be bold. Aaron thy Brother, he can speak well.

There are no Prophets, and no Miracles in these days;—God has since sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, once for all, and he has taught us in his Holy Gospel, sufficient for us to know;—and we have always with us God's holy Spirit, who, if we try to learn God's will, will enable us to practice it.

CHAPTER 23.

MOSES AND AARON SPEAK UNTO PHARAOH.

AND Moses took his Wife and his Sons, and returned to Egypt.-Moses was 40 years old when he fled from Egypt, and 80 years old when he returned to it.—And Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the Elders of the Children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people, and the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited his Children, they bowed their heads and worshipped.

And afterwards Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Let my People go. But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And Pharaoh put harder tasks upon the Children of Israel, saying, unto the Taskmasters, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore, let them go and gather straw for themselves-and the tale of the bricks which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them, you shall not diminish ought thereof, for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.-And the Taskmasters went out and spake unto the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Get you straw

where you can find it, yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. And the People complained unto Pharaoh, but he said, Ye are idle-Go and work. And as the People went forth from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, and told them.

CHAPTER 24.

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.

GOD spake to Moses and said, I am the Lord, Jehovah is my name. Now shalt thou see what I will

do to Pharaoh.-And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and Aaron cast down his Rod before Pharaoh, and it became a Serpent. Then Pharaoh called the Magicians of Egypt, and they also did cast down their Rods, and they became Serpents, but Aaron's Rod swallowed up their Rods.And Moses lifted up his Rod and smote the Waters of the River of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh and his Servants, and they became blood. And the Fish died, and the Egyptians could not drink the Water.

And after seven days, the Lord said to Moses, Go unto Pharaoh and say, Let my People go, and if thou refuse I will smite thy land with Frogs.-And Aaron stretched out his Rod over the streams, and the Frogs came up and covered the Land of Egypt.-Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, Intreat the Lord to take away the Frogs, and I will let the People go. And Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Frogs died-but when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto Moses.

Then Moses stretched out his Rod, and caused all the dust of the land to turn to Lice. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened. And the Lord sent a swarm of Flies all over the Land of Egypt.-Then Pharaoh called

for Moses and said, I will let you go to serve the Lord your God-only go not far; intreat for me. And Moses

entreated the Lord, and he removed the Flies.-And Pharaoh hardened his heart again, and would not let the People go.

Then the Lord sent a disease upon all the Cattle of the Egyptians, and the Cattle died, but of the Cattle of the Children of Israel, died not one.-Then Moses, by command of the Lord, sprinkled handsful of Ashes in the sight of Pharaoh, and it became small dust in the Land of Egypt, and a boil breaking forth upon man and beast.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early and stand before Pharaoh, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Let my People go, or behold to-morrow I will send my Plague upon thy Heart, that thou may know that there is none like me in all the earth; and Moses stretched forth his Rod, and the Lord sent Thunder, and Hail, and Fire ran along upon the Ground. And the Hail smote all that was in the Field, both Man and Beast, and every Herb and Tree-only in the Land of Goshen, where the Children of Israel were, was there no Hail. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, The Lord is righteous, I and my people are wicked. And Moses went out and spread forth his Hands, and the Hail ceased-but the Heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the Israelites go.

And Moses said again unto Pharaoh, Let the People go; else will I bring the Locusts into thy coasts. And Pharaoh said, Go ye that are Men, but not with your Children and your Flocks. Then Moses stretched forth his Rod, and the Lord brought an East Wind all that day and night, and when it was morning the Locusts came, and covered the whole land, and did eat every herb and green thing which the Hail had left.

« PreviousContinue »