- And in those days Moses was feeding the flock of Reuel the Midianite his father-in-law,
beyond the wilderness of Sin, and the stick which he took from his father-in-law was in his
hand.
- And it came to pass one day that a kid of goats strayed from the flock, and Moses pursued
it and it came to the mountain of God to Horeb.
- And when he came to Horeb, the Lord appeared there unto him in the bush, and he found
the bush burning with fire, but the fire had no power over the bush to consume it.
- And Moses was greatly astonished at this sight, wherefore the bush was not consumed,
and he approached to see this mighty thing, and the Lord called unto Moses out of the fire
and commanded him to go down to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to send the children of
Israel from his service.
- And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, return to Egypt, for all those men who sought thy life are
dead, and thou shalt speak unto Pharaoh to send forth the children of Israel from his land.
- And the Lord showed him to do signs and wonders in Egypt before the eyes of Pharaoh and
the eyes of his subjects, in order that they might believe that the Lord had sent him.
- And Moses hearkened to all that the Lord had commanded him, and he returned to his
father-in-law and told him the thing, and Reuel said to him, Go in peace.
- And Moses rose up to go to Egypt, and he took his wife and sons with him, and he was at
an inn in the road, and an angel of God came down, and sought an occasion against him.
- And he wished to kill him on account of his first born son, because he had not circumcised
him, and had transgressed the covenant which the Lord had made with Abraham.
- For Moses had hearkened to the words of his father-in-law which he had spoken to him,
not to circumcise his first born son, therefore he circumcised him not.
- And Zipporah saw the angel of the Lord seeking an occasion against Moses, and she
knew that this thing was owing to his not having circumcised her son Gershom.
- And Zipporah hastened and took of the sharp rock stones that were there, and she
circumcised her son, and delivered her husband and her son from the hand of the angel of
the Lord.
- And Aaron the son of Amram, the brother of Moses, was in Egypt walking at the river side
on that day.
- And the Lord appeared to him in that place, and he said to him, Go now toward Moses in
the wilderness, and he went and met him in the mountain of God, and he kissed him.
- And Aaron lifted up his eyes, and saw Zipporah the wife of Moses and her children, and he
said unto Moses, Who are these unto thee?
- And Moses said unto him, They are my wife and sons, which God gave to me in Midian;
and the thing grieved Aaron on account of the woman and her children.
- And Aaron said to Moses, Send away the woman and her children that they may go to her
father's house, and Moses hearkened to the words of Aaron, and did so.
- And Zipporah returned with her children, and they went to the house of Reuel, and
remained there until the time arrived when the Lord had visited his people, and brought them
forth from Egypt from the hand at Pharaoh.
- And Moses and Aaron came to Egypt to the community of the children of Israel, and they
spoke to them all the words of the Lord, and the people rejoiced an exceeding great rejoicing.
- And Moses and Aaron rose up early on the next day, and they went to the house of
Pharaoh, and they took in their hands the stick of God.
- And when they came to the king's gate, two young lions were confined there with iron
instruments, and no person went out or came in from before them, unless those whom the
king ordered to come, when the conjurors came and withdrew the lions by their incantations,
and this brought them to the king.
- And Moses hastened and lifted up the stick upon the lions, and he loosed them, and
Moses and Aaron came into the king's house.
- The lions also came with them in joy, and they followed them and rejoiced as a dog
rejoices over his master when he comes from the field.
- And when Pharaoh saw this thing he was astonished at it, and he was greatly terrified at
the report, for their appearance was like the appearance of the children of God.
- And Pharaoh said to Moses, What do you require? and they answered him, saying, The
Lord God of the Hebrews has sent us to thee, to say, Send forth my people that they may
serve me.
- And when Pharaoh heard their words he was greatly terrified before them, and he said to
them, Go today and come back to me tomorrow, and they did according to the word of the
king.
- And when they had gone Pharaoh sent for Balaam the magician and to Jannes and
Jambres his sons, and to all the magicians and conjurors and counsellors which belonged to
the king, and they all came and sat before the king.
- And the king told them all the words which Moses and his brother Aaron had spoken to
him, and the magicians said to the king, But how came the men to thee, on account of the
lions which were confined at the gate?
- And the king said, Because they lifted up their rod against the lions and loosed them, and
came to me, and the lions also rejoiced at them as a dog rejoices to meet his master.
- And Balaam the son of Beor the magician answered the king, saying, These are none else
than magicians like ourselves.
- Now therefore send for them, and let them come and we will try them, and the king did so.
- And in the morning Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron to come before the king, and they
took the rod of God, and came to the king and spoke to him, saying,
- Thus said the Lord God of the Hebrews, Send my people that they may serve me.
- And the king said to them, But who will believe you that you are the messengers of God
and that you come to me by his order?
- Now therefore give a wonder or sign in this matter, and then the words which you speak
will be believed.
- And Aaron hastened and threw the rod out of his hand before Pharaoh and before his
servants, and the rod turned into a serpent.
- And the sorcerers saw this and they cast each man his rod upon the ground and they
became serpents.
- And the serpent of Aaron's rod lifted up its head and opened its mouth to swallow the rods
of the magicians.
- And Balaam the magician answered and said, This thing has been from the days of old,
that a serpent should swallow its fellow, and that living things devour each other.
- Now therefore restore it to a rod as it was at first, and we will also restore our rods as they
were at first, and if thy rod shall swallow our rods, then shall we know that the spirit of God is
in thee, and if not, thou art only an artificer like unto ourselves.
- And Aaron hastened and stretched forth his hand and caught hold of the serpent's tail and
it became a rod in his hand, and the sorcerers did the like with their rods, and they got hold,
each man of the tail of his serpent, and they became rods as at first.
- And when they were restored to rods, the rod of Aaron swallowed up their rods.
- And when the king saw this thing, he ordered the book of records that related to the kings
of Egypt, to be brought, and they brought the book of records, the chronicles of the kings of
Egypt, in which all the idols of Egypt were inscribed, for they thought of finding therein the
name of Jehovah, but they found it not.
- And Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, Behold I have not found the name of your God
written in this book, and his name I know not.
- And the counsellors and wise men answered the king, We have heard that the God of the
Hebrews is a son of the wise, the son of ancient kings.
- And Pharaoh turned to Moses and Aaron and said to them, I know not the Lord whom you have declared, neither will I send
his people.
- And they answered and said to the king, The Lord God of Gods is his name, and he
proclaimed his name over us from the days of our ancestors, and sent us, saying, Go to
Pharaoh and say unto him, Send my people that they may serve me.
- Now therefore send us, that we may take a journey for three days in the wilderness, and
there may sacrifice to him, for from the days of our going down to Egypt, he has not taken
from our hands either burnt offering, oblation or sacrifice, and if thou wilt not send us, his
anger will be kindled against thee, and he will smite Egypt either with the plague or with the
sword.
- And Pharaoh said to them, Tell me now his power and his might; and they said to him, He
created the heaven and the earth, the seas and all their fishes, he formed the light, created
the darkness, caused rain upon the earth and watered it, and made the herbage and grass to
sprout, he created man and beast and the animals of the forest, the birds of the air and the
fish of the sea, and by his mouth they live and die.
- Surely he created thee in thy mother's womb, and put into thee the breath of life, and
reared thee and placed thee upon the royal throne of Egypt, and he will take thy breath and
soul from thee, and return thee to the ground whence thou wast taken.
- And the anger of the king was kindled at their words, and he said to them, But who
amongst all the Gods of nations can do this? my river is mine own, and I have made it for
myself.
- And he drove them from him, and he ordered the labor upon Israel to be more severe than
it was yesterday and before.
- And Moses and Aaron went out from the king's presence, and they saw the children of
Israel in an evil condition for the task-masters had made their labor exceedingly heavy.
- And Moses returned to the Lord and said, Why hast thou ill treated thy people? for since I
came to speak to Pharaoh what thou didst send me for, he has exceedingly ill used the
children of Israel.
- And the Lord said to Moses, Behold thou wilt see that with an outstretched hand and
heavy plagues, Pharaoh will send the children of Israel from his land.
- And Moses and Aaron dwelt amongst their brethren the children of Israel in Egypt.
- And as for the children of Israel the Egyptians embittered their lives, with the heavy work
which they imposed upon them.
[Book of Jasher
Referred to in Joshua and Second Samuel.
faithfully translated (1840)
from the Original Hebrew into English.
A Reprint of Photo Lithographic Reprint of Exact Edition
Published by J.H. Parry & Co., Salt Lake City: 1887]