Moses lived in Midian for 40 years. He got married and had children. One day while he was taking care of his sheep near Mount Sinai, he saw something amazing. A thornbush was on fire, but it was not burning up! When Moses went near to see why, he heard a voice from inside the bush say: ‘Moses! Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals because you are standing on holy ground.’ It was Jehovah who was talking by means of an angel.

Moses was afraid, so he covered his face. The voice said: ‘I have seen the suffering of the Israelites. I will save them from the Egyptians and bring them to a good land. You are the one who will lead my people out of Egypt.’ Don’t you think that must have surprised Moses?

Moses asked: ‘What should I say when the people ask who sent me?’ God replied: ‘Tell them that Jehovah, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent you.’ Moses then said: ‘What if the people don’t listen to me?’ Jehovah gave Moses proof that He would help him. He told Moses to throw his stick on the ground. Then the stick became a snake! When Moses grabbed the snake by the tail, it became a stick again. Jehovah said: ‘When you perform this sign, it will prove that I sent you.’

Moses said: ‘I’m not a good speaker.’ Jehovah promised him: ‘I will tell you what to say, and I will send your brother Aaron to help you.’ Knowing that Jehovah was with him, Moses took his wife and sons and headed back to Egypt.

The Israelites were forced to work hard as slaves. Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with this message: ‘Let my people go so that they can worship me in the wilderness.’ Pharaoh proudly replied: ‘I do not care what Jehovah says, and I will not let the Israelites go.’ Then Pharaoh forced them to work even harder. Jehovah would teach Pharaoh a lesson. Do you know how? He brought the Ten Plagues on Egypt. Jehovah told Moses: ‘Pharaoh is not listening to me. In the morning, he will be at the Nile River. Go to him and tell him that because he has not let my people go, all the water in the Nile will turn into blood.’ Moses obeyed and went to Pharaoh. Pharaoh watched as Aaron hit the Nile with his stick, and the river turned into blood. The river began to stink, the fish died, and there was no fresh water to drink from the Nile. Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go.

Seven days later, Jehovah sent Moses back to Pharaoh with this message: ‘If you don’t send my people away, Egypt will be filled with frogs.’ Aaron raised his stick, and frogs began to cover the land. The people found frogs in their houses, in their beds, and in their bowls. There were frogs everywhere! Pharaoh had Moses beg Jehovah to end this plague. Pharaoh promised that he would let the Israelites go. So Jehovah stopped the plague, and the Egyptians piled up the dead frogs, heap after heap. The land began to stink. But, again, Pharaoh would not let the people go.

Then Jehovah told Moses: ‘Aaron must hit the ground with his stick, and the dust will turn into gnats, or small biting flies.’ Immediately there were gnats everywhere. Some of Pharaoh’s own people told him: ‘This plague comes from God.’ But, still, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.