Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles.<n id="1" />

He replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Surely I will be with you,<n id="2" /> and this will be the sign<n id="3" /> to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve<n id="4" /> God on this mountain.&#8221;p>

For this time I will send all my plagues<n id="1" /> on your very self<n id="2" /> and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

They baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was made without yeast &#8211; because they were thrust out<n id="1" /> of Egypt and were not able to delay, they<n id="2" /> could not prepare<n id="3" /> food for themselves either.p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">When Pharaoh released<n id="2" /> the people, God did not lead them<n id="3" /> by the way to the land<n id="4" /> of the Philistines,<n id="5" /> although<n id="6" /> that was nearby, for God said,<n id="7" /> &#8220;Lest<n id="8" /> the people change their minds<n id="9" /> and return to Egypt when they experience<n id="10" /> war.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">When it was reported<n id="1" /> to the king of Egypt that the people had fled,<n id="2" /> the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said,<n id="3" /> &#8220;What in the world have we done?<n id="4" /> For we have released the people of Israel<n id="5" /> from serving us!&#8221;

&#8220;Tell the Israelites, &#8216;Surely you must keep my Sabbaths,<n id="1" /> for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the <sc>Lordsc> who sanctifies you.<n id="2" />

So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it<n id="1" /> must surely be put to death; indeed,<n id="2" /> if anyone does<n id="3" /> any<n id="4" /> work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his<n id="5" /> people.

<p class="bodytext">When the child grew older<n id="1" /> she brought him to Pharaoh&#8217;s daughter, and he became her son.<n id="2" /> She named him Moses, saying, &#8220;Because I drew him from the water.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

When the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> saw that<n id="2" /> he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, &#8220;Moses, Moses!&#8221;<n id="3" /> And Moses<n id="4" /> said, &#8220;Here I am.&#8221;

God<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Do not approach any closer!<n id="2" /> Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy<n id="3" /> ground.&#8221;<n id="4" />

He added, &#8220;I am the God of your father,<n id="1" /> the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.&#8221; Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look<n id="2" /> at God.p>

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;I have surely seen<n id="1" /> the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I will grant this people favor with<n id="1" /> the Egyptians, so that when<n id="2" /> you depart you will not leave empty-handed.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Moses answered again,<n id="2" /> &#8220;And if<n id="3" /> they do not believe me or pay attention to me,<n id="4" /> but say, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> has not appeared to you&#8217;?&#8221;

&#8220;that they may believe that the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.&#8221;p>

The <sc>Lordsc> said to Moses in Midian, &#8220;Go back<n id="1" /> to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.&#8221;<n id="2" />

But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses&#8217; feet,<n id="1" /> and said, &#8220;Surely you are a bridegroom of blood<n id="2" /> to me.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Then the <sc>Lordsc> said to Moses, &#8220;Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh,<n id="1" /> for compelled by my strong hand<n id="2" /> he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God.<n id="1" /> Then you will know that I am the <sc>Lordsc> your God, who brought you out from your enslavement to<n id="2" /> the Egyptians.