Exodus 6

₁Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you are going to see what I will do to the king. I will force him to let my people go. In fact, I will force him to drive them out of his land.”

₂God spoke to Moses and said, “I am the LORD. ₃I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as Almighty God, but I did not make myself known to them by my holy name, the LORD. ₄I also made my covenant with them, promising to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they had lived as foreigners. ₅Now I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians have enslaved, and I have remembered my covenant. ₆So tell the Israelites that I say to them, ‘I am the LORD; I will rescue you and set you free from your slavery to the Egyptians. I will raise my mighty arm to bring terrible punishment upon them, and I will save you. ₇I will make you my own people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the LORD your God when I set you free from slavery in Egypt. ₈I will bring you to the land that I solemnly promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as your own possession. I am the LORD.’ ” ₉Moses told this to the Israelites, but they would not listen to him, because their spirit had been broken by their cruel slavery.

₁₀Then the LORD said to Moses, ₁₁“Go and tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”

₁₂But Moses replied, “Even the Israelites will not listen to me, so why should the king? I am such a poor speaker.”

₁₃The LORD commanded Moses and Aaron: “Tell the Israelites and the king of Egypt that I have ordered you to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.”

₁₄Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. ₁₅Simeon had six sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. ₁₆Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; they were the ancestors of the clans that bear their names. Levi lived 137 years. ₁₇Gershon had two sons: Libni and Shimei, and they had many descendants. ₁₈Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. ₁₉Merari had two sons: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi with their descendants.

₂₀Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. ₂₁Izhar had three sons: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. ₂₂Uzziel also had three sons: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

₂₃Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon; she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ₂₄Korah had three sons: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; they were the ancestors of the divisions of the clan of Korah. ₂₅Eleazar, Aaron's son, married one of Putiel's daughters, who bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the families and the clans of the tribe of Levi.

₂₆Aaron and Moses were the ones to whom the LORD said, “Lead the tribes of Israel out of Egypt.” ₂₇They were the men who told the king of Egypt to free the Israelites.

₂₈When the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ₂₉he said, “I am the LORD. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

₃₀But Moses answered, “You know that I am such a poor speaker; why should the king listen to me?”