上帝呼召摩西　
　　有一天，摩西为他的岳父米甸的祭司叶特罗放羊；他领了一群羊横跨沙漠，到了上帝的山──何烈山。在那里，上主的天使像火焰，从荆棘中向摩西显现。摩西看见荆棘着火，却没有烧毁。他想∶“这可怪了，为什么荆棘不会烧毁呢？我上前去看看吧！”
　　上主看见摩西走近，就从荆棘中喊他∶“摩西！摩西！”
　　摩西回答∶“是，我在这里！”
　　上帝说∶“不要再走近。脱掉你的鞋子，因为你所站的地方是圣地。我是你祖宗的上帝，是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝。”摩西遮着脸，不敢看上帝。
　　上主说∶“我已经看见我的子民在埃及受虐待；我已经听见他们渴望挣脱奴役的哀号。我知道他们的痛苦，所以下来要从埃及人手中把他们拯救出来，领他们到肥沃宽广、流奶与蜜的地方∶那里是迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人，和耶布斯人居住的地方。我的确听见了我子民的哀号，也看见了埃及人怎样压迫他们。现在我差你到埃及王那里去；你去把我的子民从埃及领出来。”
　　可是摩西对上帝说∶“我算什么？我怎能到埃及王那里去，把以色列人领出来呢？”
　　上帝回答∶“我要与你同在。你领以色列人出埃及后，要在这山上敬拜我。这就是我差遣你的凭证。”
　　摩西说∶“当我去告诉以色列人∶‘你们祖宗的上帝差我到这里来’，他们会问∶‘他的名字是什么？’那时我该怎样回答呢？”
　　上帝说∶“我是创始成终的主宰。你去告诉他们∶‘那位叫创始成终的主宰差我到你们这里。’[注解]　我是耶和华，是他们祖宗的上帝，是亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝。我差你到他们那里；我的名永远叫耶和华，世世代代都要这样称呼我。你去召集以色列人的领袖，告诉他们∶我──上主，他们祖宗的上帝，亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的上帝，曾向你显现。要告诉他们，我来到他们当中，已经看见埃及人怎样对待他们。我决定要领他们出埃及。他们已经受够了苦头；我要带他们到流奶与蜜的肥沃土地，就是迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人，和耶布斯人居住的地方。
　　“我的子民会听从你对他们讲的话。然后你要带以色列的领袖们去见埃及王，对他说∶‘上主──希伯来人的上帝曾向我们显现。现在请你准许我们走三天的路程，到旷野去，向上主──我们的上帝献祭。’我知道，除非我逼他，埃及王是不会放你们走的。但是我要用我的权能行各样神迹来惩罚埃及。最后埃及王会让你们走。
　　“我要使埃及人尊敬你们；所以，当我的子民离开那里时，他们不会空手离去。每一个以色列女子要到邻居的家去，并向埃及妇女索取金银、首饰，和衣服。以色列人要把这些东西给儿女穿戴，这样就把埃及人的财富带走。”

　　God Calls Moses　
　　One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. [注解]　"This is strange," he thought. "Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see."
　　When the LORD saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, "Moses! Moses!"
　　He answered, "Yes, here I am."
　　God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
　　Then the LORD said, "I have seen how cruelly my people are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings, and so I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of Egypt to a spacious land, one which is rich and fertile and in which the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites now live. I have indeed heard the cry of my people, and I see how the Egyptians are oppressing them. Now I am sending you to the king of Egypt so that you can lead my people out of his country."
　　But Moses said to God, "I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
　　God answered, "I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. That will be the proof that I have sent you."
　　But Moses replied, "When I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' So what can I tell them?"[注解]　
　　God said, "I am who I am. You must tell them: 'The one who is called I AM has sent me to you.' [注解]　Tell the Israelites that I, the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have sent you to them. This is my name forever; this is what all future generations are to call me. Go and gather the leaders of Israel together and tell them that I, the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to you. Tell them that I have come to them and have seen what the Egyptians are doing to them. I have decided that I will bring them out of Egypt, where they are being treated cruelly, and will take them to a rich and fertile land-the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
　　"My people will listen to what you say to them. Then you must go with the leaders of Israel to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has revealed himself to us. Now allow us to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD, our God.' I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless he is forced to do so. But I will use my power and will punish Egypt by doing terrifying things there. After that he will let you go.
　　"I will make the Egyptians respect you so that when my people leave, they will not go empty-handed. [注解]　Every Israelite woman will go to her Egyptian neighbors and to any Egyptian woman living in her house and will ask for clothing and for gold and silver jewelry. The Israelites will put these things on their sons and daughters and carry away the wealth of the Egyptians."