Unit 3 · Moses and the Way Out

Remember Joseph? His family moved to Egypt. Egypt is a land by a long river. The river is called the Nile. The family had food there.

Years went by. The family grew and grew. The story says they became a big people. They were called the Israelites. That name comes from Jacob. Jacob was also called Israel.

Exodus is the book that tells this. It is the second book of the Bible. The first chapter says the Israelites filled the land.

A new king came to rule Egypt. The king of Egypt was called Pharaoh. Pharaoh did not know Joseph. He looked at the Israelites. He saw how many they were. He was afraid.

So Pharaoh made them slaves. A slave is a person who is not free. The Israelites had to make bricks. They had to build cities. They worked all day in the hot sun.

The story says Pharaoh made a cruel rule too. It put the Israelite baby boys in danger. Two brave helpers said no to the king. Their names were Shiphrah and Puah.

A mother had a baby boy. She saw he was a fine baby. She hid him for three months. But a baby cries. She could not hide him forever.

So she made a plan. She made a basket out of reeds. She painted it with tar. Now water could not get in. She put the baby inside. She set it in the reeds by the Nile.

The baby’s sister stood far off. She watched to see what would happen. The story says her name was Miriam.

Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river. She wanted to wash. She saw the basket in the reeds. She opened it. The baby was crying. She felt sorry for him.

Then the sister ran up. She said, "Shall I find a woman to feed the baby?" The princess said yes. The sister ran and got her own mother! So the baby’s mother took care of him.

When he was bigger, he went to live with the princess. She named him Moses. The story says the name means "I pulled him out of the water."

Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s house. But he knew he was an Israelite. One day he saw a man hitting an Israelite slave. Moses got very angry. He hit the man hard, and the man died.

Pharaoh heard about it. He wanted to punish Moses. So Moses ran away. He went to a far land called Midian.

In Midian, Moses sat by a well. He helped some sisters get water for their sheep. Their father was glad. Moses married one sister. Her name was Zipporah. Moses became a shepherd.

One day Moses led the sheep to a mountain. He saw a bush on fire. But the bush did not burn up! Moses went closer to look.

The story says God spoke to Moses from the bush. God said, "Take off your shoes. This is holy ground." Holy means set apart and special.

Then the story says God told Moses a job. "My people are hurting in Egypt. Go to Pharaoh. Bring my people out." Moses was scared. He said, "Who am I to do this?"

Moses did not feel brave. He said, "I am not good at talking." The story says God gave him a helper. It was his brother, Aaron. Aaron could speak well.

So Moses went back to Egypt. He was old now. Aaron went with him. They stood in front of Pharaoh. They gave him a message. A message is words you carry for someone else.

The message was short. "Let my people go." Jews, Christians and Muslims all tell this part. The Qur’an calls Moses by the name Musa.

Moses said, "Let my people go." Pharaoh said no. He said it again and again. The story says hard things came to Egypt. They are called plagues.

First the river turned red like blood. Then frogs came everywhere. Then tiny bugs. Then flies. The animals got sick. People got sores. Hail fell. Locusts ate the plants. It got dark for three days.

Nine times Pharaoh said no. The tenth plague was the saddest of all. Then Pharaoh finally said, "Go."

The story says God told the people to get ready. Each family cooked a lamb. They put a mark on their door. They ate bread with no yeast. There was no time to let it rise.

They ate fast. They had their shoes on. They were ready to run. The story says the sad tenth plague passed over their houses. That is why the night is called Passover.

That night Pharaoh said go. The people left Egypt. They took their bread dough with them. It was still flat. Flat bread is called matzah.

The people walked out of Egypt. But Pharaoh changed his mind. He sent his army after them. The people came to the sea. They were trapped.

The story says Moses held his hand over the sea. A strong wind blew all night. The water split in two. The people walked across on dry ground. Water stood like a wall on each side.

Pharaoh’s army followed. Then the water came back. The army could not get through. The people were safe. They were free.

On the other side, the people sang. Miriam took a small drum. She led the women in a dance. They sang a song of thanks.

Then they walked into the desert. A desert is dry land with little water. Soon the people were hungry. They grumbled at Moses.

The story says thin flakes fell on the ground each morning. The people asked, "What is it?" That is what the word manna means. They ate it like bread. It tasted like honey cakes.

The people came to a big mountain. It was called Mount Sinai. The story says a cloud covered the top. There was thunder. There was a loud horn. The mountain shook.

The story says God gave the people rules. There were ten of them. They are called the Ten Commandments. Later they were written on two flat stones.

Here are some in kid words. Tell the truth. Do not steal. Rest one day each week. Be good to your mom and dad. Do not want what belongs to someone else.

One rule is about rest. It says work six days. Then rest on the seventh day. This day is called the Sabbath.

Remember the very first story? Genesis says God made the world in six days. Then God rested on the seventh day. The rule at Sinai points back to that story.

Many Jews rest on Saturday. That is their Sabbath. Many Christians rest and go to church on Sunday. Both get the idea of a rest day from this story.

Every spring, Jewish families have a special meal. It is called a Seder. They eat matzah. They tell the Exodus story. The youngest child asks questions.

The story tells families to do this. It says, "When your children ask, tell them." So the story is told again every year.

Christians read the Exodus story too. The Gospels say Jesus ate a Passover meal with his friends. Muslims tell the story of Musa and the sea. One story, many tellers.