Then Moses answered the Angel of the flame, with that meekness and
humbleness of heart which characterizes him--
"Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto
them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you;' and they shall
say unto me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say unto them?"
The inquiry was made by him with the profoundest homage in the tones
of his reverent voice, not as if he doubted God, but his brethren.
Moreover, he now beheld, as it were face to face, the Lord God of
heaven and earth, whom he had so long worshipped, and whose name to
men, neither he nor any man knew. And I heard the Voice answer--with
majesty inconceivable, so that my spirit failed before it--and say
unto Moses--
"I AM THAT I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I
AM hath sent me unto you!'"
Then after a brief silence, during which Moses fell upon his face and
worshipped, the Voice from the midst of the fire said:
"Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'The Lord God of
your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob, hath sent me unto you. THIS is my NAME _forever_; and this is
my memorial unto all generations!' Go, and gather the elders of Israel
together and say unto them, 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying--
"'I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in
Egypt; and I have said, I will bring you out of the affliction of
Egypt, unto the land of the Canaanites, unto a land flowing with milk
and honey!' And the children of Israel shall hearken to thy voice; and
thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of
Egypt, and ye shall say unto him--
"'The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go, we
beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may
sacrifice to the Lord our God.' And I am sure that the king of Egypt
will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand; and I will stretch out
My hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the
midst thereof; and after that he will let you go: and when ye go, ye
shall not go empty, but ye shall spoil the Egyptians."
When the Voice had ceased, I heard Moses answer, and say with modest
diffidence:
"But, behold, the elders and people of my brethren, the Hebrews, will
not believe me nor hearken to my voice; for they will say, 'The Lord
hath not appeared unto thee.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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