出埃及記3:1-22

3:1 摩西牧養他岳父米甸祭司葉忒羅的羊群；一日領羊群往野外去，到了上帝的山，就是何烈山。
3:2 耶和華的使者從荊棘裡火焰中向摩西顯現。摩西觀看，不料，荊棘被火燒著，卻沒有燒毀。
3:3 摩西說：「我要過去看這大異象，這荊棘為何沒有燒壞呢？」
3:4 耶和華上帝見他過去要看，就從荊棘裡呼叫說：「摩西！摩西！」他說：「我在這裡。」
3:5 上帝說：「不要近前來。當把你腳上的鞋脫下來，因為你所站之地是聖地」；
3:6 又說：「我是你父親的上帝，是亞伯拉罕的上帝，以撒的上帝，雅各的上帝。」摩西蒙上臉，因為怕看上帝。
3:7 耶和華說：「我的百姓在埃及所受的困苦，我實在看見了；他們因受督工的轄制所發的哀聲，我也聽見了。我原知道他們的痛苦，
3:8 我下來是要救他們脫離埃及人的手，領他們出了那地，到美好、寬闊、流奶與蜜之地，就是到迦南人、赫人、亞摩利人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人之地。
3:9 現在以色列人的哀聲達到我耳中，我也看見埃及人怎樣欺壓他們。
3:10 故此，我要打發你去見法老，使你可以將我的百姓以色列人從埃及領出來。」
3:11 摩西對上帝說：「我是甚麼人，竟能去見法老，將以色列人從埃及領出來呢？」
3:12 上帝說：「我必與你同在。你將百姓從埃及領出來之後，你們必在這山上事奉我；這就是我打發你去的證據。」
3:13 摩西對上帝說：「我到以色列人那裡，對他們說：『你們祖宗的上帝打發我到你們這裡來。』他們若問我說：『他叫甚麼名字？』我要對他們說甚麼呢？」
3:14 上帝對摩西說：「我是自有永有的」；又說：「你要對以色列人這樣說：『那自有的打發我到你們這裡來。』」
3:15 上帝又對摩西說：「你要對以色列人這樣說：『耶和華─你們祖宗的上帝，就是亞伯拉罕的上帝，以撒的上帝，雅各的上帝，打發我到你們這裡來。』耶和華是我的名，直到永遠；這也是我的紀念，直到萬代。
3:16 你去招聚以色列的長老，對他們說：『耶和華－你們祖宗的上帝，就是亞伯拉罕的上帝，以撒的上帝，雅各的上帝，向我顯現，說：我實在眷顧了你們，我也看見埃及人怎樣待你們。
3:17 我也說：要將你們從埃及的困苦中領出來，往迦南人、赫人、亞摩利人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人的地去，就是到流奶與蜜之地。』
3:18 他們必聽你的話。你和以色列的長老要去見埃及王，對他說：『耶和華─希伯來人的上帝遇見了我們，現在求你容我們往曠野去，走三天的路程，為要祭祀耶和華─我們的上帝。』
3:19 我知道雖用大能的手，埃及王也不容你們去。
3:20 我必伸手在埃及中間施行我一切的奇事，攻擊那地，然後他才容你們去。
3:21 我必叫你們在埃及人眼前蒙恩，你們去的時候就不至於空手而去。
3:22 但各婦女必向她的鄰舍，並居住在她家裡的女人，要金器銀器和衣裳，好給你們的兒女穿戴。這樣你們就把埃及人的財物奪去了。」

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father,^[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
⁷ The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[b] will worship God on this mountain.”
¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,^[d] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,
    the name you shall call me
    from generation to generation.

¹⁶ “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

¹⁸ “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. ²⁰ So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
²¹ “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. ²² Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

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    摩西的歲月經過了一段頗長的時間，就是他逃出埃及，在米甸放羊的日子，說這段時間的摩西是渾渾噩噩的，也不為過！因為他是有志難伸，感到自己是十分無能與無用，只能和羊群混在一起，不知人生為何而活！

    然而在人看來前途茫茫，不知道自己能有什麼的做為的摩西，卻有奇妙的事件進入他的生命之中，就是看見上帝的異象——焚而不悔的荊棘！這真是一個大異象，與當時的以色列的情形很像，因為他們受到埃及的苦害，就像被火焚燒！但是，火雖然很大、很旺盛，早應該把以色列毀壞，上帝卻保守他們十分平安。不僅如此，還要帶領他們出埃及，到上帝應許之地！

    然而上帝將這樣的重責大任，交給一個懦弱無能的摩西，好像是一個很大的冒險！照人的做法，要去找一個能力強又勇敢的人，至少也要年輕一點，這時的摩西又老、又沒有志氣，甚至沒有什麼才能，上帝為什麼這樣做呢？

    摩西雖然是又老又沒用，上帝卻對他說：「我必與你同在。你將百姓從埃及領出來之後，你們必在這山上事奉我；這就是我打發你去的證據。」

    是的，雖然我們是軟弱無用的人，但是上帝既然透過耶穌基督拯救我們，就要像祂應許摩西一樣，也要與我們同在，要使用我們來彰顯祂的榮耀，完成祂要完成的，使我們與祂一同得榮耀！