Exodus 3 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Now Moses was taking care of the flock belonging to his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock past the edge of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

There the angel of Yahweh appeared to him as a flame of fire right in the middle of a bush. Moses looked, and the bush was blazing with fire but it wasn't burning up.

Moses said to himself, "I need to go over and look at this amazing sight — why isn't the bush burning up?"

When Yahweh saw that Moses had come over to look, God called out to him from the middle of the bush: "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "I'm here."

God said, "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals — the ground you're standing on is set apart."

Then he said, "I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Yahweh said, "I have clearly seen how my people are being mistreated in Egypt. I've heard them crying out because of their slave drivers. I know their pain."

So I've come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land — a land flowing with milk and honey — the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

"And now, look — the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I've seen how brutally the Egyptians are oppressing them."

"So now, go. I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

But Moses said to God, "Who am I to go to Pharaoh? Who am I to bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the proof that I'm the one sending you: when you've brought the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God on this very mountain."

Moses said to God, "Okay, so I go to the Israelites and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you.' But they're going to ask me, 'What's his name?' What do I tell them?"

God said to Moses, "I Am The One Who Will Be There." And he said, "Tell the Israelites this: 'I Am has sent me to you.'"

God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob — has sent me to you.' This is my name forever. This is how every generation will remember me."

"Go, gather the elders of Israel together and tell them: 'Yahweh, the God of your ancestors — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — appeared to me and said: I've been paying close attention to you and to what's being done to you in Egypt.'"

"And I've said: I will bring you up out of the misery of Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites — a land flowing with milk and honey."

"They will listen to you. Then you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and say to him: 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to Yahweh our God.'"

"But I know that the king of Egypt won't let you go unless a powerful hand forces him."

"So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the incredible things I will do among them. After that, he will let you go."

"And I will make the Egyptians look favorably on this people, so when you leave, you won't leave empty-handed."

Every woman will ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. You'll put them on your sons and daughters. This is how you will strip Egypt of its wealth.