Exodus 6 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you'll see what I'm going to do to Pharaoh. He'll be forced by a powerful hand to let them go — forced by a powerful hand to drive them out of his land."

God spoke to Moses and told him, "I am Yahweh.

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai — God the Overwhelming — but by my name Yahweh I did not make myself fully known to them.

I also set up my binding agreement with them, to give them the land of Canaan — the land where they lived as outsiders.

And now I have heard the groaning of the Israelites — the ones the Egyptians have enslaved — and I have remembered my binding agreement.

"So tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh. I will bring you out from under the crushing labor of the Egyptians. I will rescue you from slavery to them. I will reclaim you with an outstretched arm and with acts of justice so decisive they will shake the world.

I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God — the one who brought you out from under the crushing labor of the Egyptians.

I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you as your own possession. I am Yahweh."

Moses told all of this to the Israelites, but they couldn't hear him — their spirits were crushed by the brutal, backbreaking slavery.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses:

"Go tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave his land."

But Moses protested to Yahweh, "Look — the Israelites won't even listen to me. Why would Pharaoh listen? I'm not even a good speaker."

But Yahweh spoke to both Moses and Aaron and gave them orders regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt — to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

These are the heads of their ancestral families: The sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn — Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben.

The sons of Simeon — Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul (the son of a Canaanite woman). These are the clans of Simeon.

These are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their family records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived to be 137 years old.

The sons of Gershon — Libni and Shimei, by their clans.

The sons of Kohath — Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be 133 years old.

The sons of Merari — Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of Levi, according to their family records.

Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived to be 137 years old.

The sons of Izhar — Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

The sons of Uzziel — Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

The sons of Korah — Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites.

Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levite ancestral families, by their clans.

These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom Yahweh said, "Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, organized by their tribal divisions."

It was Moses and Aaron who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. These are that same Moses and Aaron.

On the day Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,

Yahweh told him, "I am Yahweh. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you."

But Moses said to Yahweh, "Look — I'm not a good speaker. Why would Pharaoh listen to me?"