Finding One's Voice

(11) “Come out,” God called, “and stand on the mountain before the ETERNAL.” And lo, the ETERNAL passed by. There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of the ETERNAL; but the ETERNAL was not in the wind. After the wind—an earthquake; but the ETERNAL was not in the earthquake. (12) After the earthquake—fire; but the ETERNAL was not in the fire. And after the fire—a soft murmuring sound.

(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— (3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.

(1) Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (2) An angel of the ETERNAL appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. (3) Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?” (4) When the ETERNAL saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” (5) And God said, “Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. (6) I am,” God said, “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

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(10) Come, therefore, I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall free My people, the Israelites, from Egypt.” (11) But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?” (12) And God said, “I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

(1) But Moses spoke up and said, “What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: The ETERNAL did not appear to you?” (2) The ETERNAL said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he replied, “A rod.” (3) God said, “Cast it on the ground.” He cast it on the ground and it became a snake; and Moses recoiled from it. (4) Then the ETERNAL said to Moses, “Put out your hand and grasp it by the tail”—he put out his hand and seized it, and it became a rod in his hand— (5) “that they may believe that the ETERNAL, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear to you.” (6) The ETERNAL said to him further, “Put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales! (7) And God said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.”—He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body.— (8) “And if they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, they will believe the second. (9) And if they are not convinced by both these signs and still do not heed you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and it—the water that you take from the Nile—will turn to blood on the dry ground.” (10) But Moses said to the ETERNAL, “Please, O Ruler, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (11) And the ETERNAL said to him, “Who gives man speech? Who makes him dumb or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the ETERNAL? (12) Now go, and I will be with you as you speak and will instruct you what to say.” (13) But he said, “Please, O Ruler, make someone else Your agent.” (14) The ETERNAL became angry with Moses, and He said, “There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you. (15) You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth—I will be with you and with him as you speak, and tell both of you what to do— (16) and he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of God to him, (17) and take with you this rod, with which you shall perform the signs.”

(1) In the year that King Uzziah died, I beheld my God seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of God's robe filled the Temple. (2) Seraphs stood in attendance on God. Each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his legs, and with two he would fly. (3) And one would call to the other, “Holy, holy, holy! The ETERNAL of Hosts! God's presence fills all the earth!” (4) The doorposts would shake at the sound of the one who called, and the House kept filling with smoke. (5) I cried, “Woe is me; I am lost! For I am a person of unclean lips And I live among a people Of unclean lips; Yet my own eyes have beheld The Sovereign God of Hosts.” (6) Then one of the seraphs flew over to me with a live coal, which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. (7) He touched it to my lips and declared, “Now that this has touched your lips, Your guilt shall depart And your sin be purged away.” (8) Then I heard the voice of my Master saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me.”

(Exodus 14:22) "And the children of Israel came in the midst of the sea on the dry land"...

When the tribes were standing at the sea, each of them said: I will not go down first into the sea, viz. (Hoshea 12:1-3) "Ephraim surrounds Me with deceit, and the house of Israel with guile." Because they stood and deliberated, Nachshon the son of Aminadav leaped into the sea. Of him Scripture writes (Psalms 69:2-3 ) "Save me, O God, for the waters have reached my soul. I am sinking in the slimy depths and I find no foothold. I have come into the watery depths, and the flood sweeps me away." (Ibid. 16) "Let the floodwaters not sweep me away, and let the deep not swallow me, and let the mouth of the pit not close over me." At that time Moses waxed long in prayer — whereupon the ETERNAL said to him: "My loved ones are drowning in the sea, and the sea is raging, and the foe is pursuing, and you stand and wax long in prayer?" To which Moses replied: Ruler of the universe, what can I do? And God said to him (Exodus 14:16) "And you, raise your staff, etc." And what did Moses and Israel say at the sea? (Ibid. 15:18) "The ETERNAL will reign for ever and ever" — to which God responded: He who made Me "King" at the sea, (i.e., the tribe of Judah), he will I make sovereign over Israel."

(16) The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Abraham walking with them to see them off. (17) Now the ETERNAL had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (18) since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? (19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the ETERNAL by doing what is just and right, in order that the ETERNAL may bring about for Abraham what God has promised him.” (20) Then the ETERNAL said, “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave! (21) I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.” (22) The men went on from there to Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the ETERNAL. (23) Abraham came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? (24) What if there should be fifty innocent within the city; will You then wipe out the place and not forgive it for the sake of the innocent fifty who are in it? (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (26) And the ETERNAL answered, “If I find within the city of Sodom fifty innocent ones, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” (27) Abraham spoke up, saying, “Here I venture to speak to my Ruler, I who am but dust and ashes: (28) What if the fifty innocent should lack five? Will You destroy the whole city for want of the five?” And God answered, “I will not destroy if I find forty-five there.” (29) But he spoke to God again, and said, “What if forty should be found there?” And God answered, “I will not do it, for the sake of the forty.” (30) And he said, “Let not my Ruler be angry if I go on: What if thirty should be found there?” And God answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” (31) And he said, “I venture again to speak to my Ruler: What if twenty should be found there?” And God answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the twenty.” (32) And he said, “Let not my Ruler be angry if I speak but this last time: What if ten should be found there?” And God answered, “I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten.” (33) When the ETERNAL had finished speaking to Abraham, God departed; and Abraham returned to his place.