18. until another king who did not know about Joseph ruled over Egypt.
19. This was the one who exploited our people and was cruel to our ancestors, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
20. At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful to God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house,
21. and when he had been abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.
22. So Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.
23. But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites.
24. When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.
25. He thought his own people would understand that God was delivering them through him, but they did not understand.
26. The next day Moses saw two men fighting, and tried to make peace between them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’
27. But the man who was unfairly hurting his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?
28. You don’t want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’
29. When the man said this, Moses fled and became a foreigner in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
30. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
31. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached to investigate, there came the voice of the Lord,
32. ‘I am the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look more closely.
33. But the Lord said to him, ‘Take the sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
34. I have certainly seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come, I will send you to Egypt.’