Moses

Koran

Bible

Moses, Pharaoh, Haman  in Egypt

Ta, Sin, Mim.  These are Verses of the Book that makes (things) clear.  We rehearse to you some of the story of Moses and Pharaoh in Truth, for people who believe for the instruction of the faithful.

 

Now Pharaoh made himself a tyrant in the land.  He divided his people into castes, one group of which he persecuted, putting their sons to death and sparing only their daughters.  Truly, he was an evil doer.

 

But it was Our will to favor those who were oppressed in the land and to make them leaders among men, to bestow on them a noble heritage and to give them power in the land; and to inflict on Pharaoh, Haman, and their warriors the very scourge they dreaded.

 

We revealed Our will to Moses’ mother, saying:  “Give him suck, but if you are concerned about his safety, then put him down onto the river.  Have no fear, nor be dismayed; for We shall restore him to you and shall invest him with a mission.”

 

Pharaoh’s household picked him up, though he was to become their adversary and their scourge.  For Pharaoh, Haman, and their warriors were sinners all.

 

His wife said to Pharaoh:  “This child may bring joy to us both.  Do not slay him.  He may show promise, and we may adopt him as our son.”  But they little knew what they were doing.

 

Moses’ mother’s heart was sorely troubled.  She would have revealed who he was, had We not given her strength so that she might become a true believer.  She said to his sister:  “Go, and follow him.”

 

She watched him from a distance, unseen by others.  Now We had caused him to refuse his nurses’ breasts.  His sister said to them:  “Shall I direct you to a family who will bring him up for you and take good care of him?”

 

Thus did We restore him to his mother, so that she might rejoice in him and grieve no more, and that she might learn that Allah’s promise was true.  Yet most men are not aware of this.

 

And when he had reached maturity and grown to manhood We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge.  Thus do We reward the righteous.

 

He entered the town unnoticed by its people, and found two men at each other’s throats, the one of his own race, the other an enemy.  The Israelite appealed for Moses’ help against his enemy, so that Moses struck him with his fist and slew him. “This is the work of Satan,”  said Moses.  “He is the sworn enemy of man and seeks to lead him astray.  Forgive me, Lord, he said, “for I have sinned against my own soul.”

 

And Allah forgave him; for He is the Forgiving One, the Merciful.  He said:  “By the favor You have shown me, Lord, I vow that I will never lend a helping hand to wrongdoers.”

 

Next morning, as he was walking in the town in fear and caution, the man who sought his help the day before cried out to him again for help.  “Clearly,” said Moses, “you are a quarrelsome man.”

 

And when Moses was about to lay his hands on their enemy, the Egyptian said:  “Moses, would you slay me as you slew that man yesterday?  You are surely seeking to be a tyrant in the land, not an upright man.”

 

A man came running from the farthest quarter of the city.  “Moses,” he cried, “the elders are plotting to kill you.  Fly for your life, if you will heed my counsel!”

 

He went away in fear and caution, saying:  “Lord, deliver me from the wicked people.”  And as he made his way towards Midian, he said:  “May the Lord guide me to the even path.”

Al-Qasas       The Story   28:1-22  

 

 

Moses in Egypt from childhood

Exodus 1:8 through Exodus 14:31

 

Exodus 1:8-22    NKJV

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land." 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. 13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage--in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

 

15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; 16 and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" 19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them." 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. 21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. 22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."    

 

Birth of Moses

Exodus 2:1-10    NKJV

2:1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

 

5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children." 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?" 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother. 9 Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."

 

Exodus 2:11-15    NKJV

11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, "Why are you striking your companion?" 14 Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!" 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

Exodus 2:11-15    NKJV

Moses in Midian

Moses and Aaron

In the Book tell also of Moses, who was a chosen man, an apostle, and a prophet.

 

We called out to him from the right side of the Mountain, and when he came near We communed with him in secret.  We gave him, of Our mercy, his brother Aaron, himself a prophet.

Maryam    Mary  19:51-53

 

Moses in Midian

When he came to the well of Midian, he found around it a multitude of men watering their flocks, and beside them two women who were keeping back their sheep.  “What is it that troubles you?”  he asked.

 

They replied:  “We cannot water them until the shepherds have driven away their flocks.  Our father is an aged man.”

 

Moses watered their sheep for them and then retired to the shade, saying:  “Lord, I surely stand in need of the blessing which You have sent me.”

 

One of the two girls came bashfully towards him and said:  “My father calls you.  He wishes to reward you for watering our flock.”

 

And when Moses went and recounted to him his story, the old man said:  “Fear nothing.  You are now safe from the wicked people.”

 

One of the girls said:  “Father, take this man into your service.  A man who is strong and honest is the best that you can hire.”

 

The old man said:  “I will give you one of these two daughters of mine in marriage if you stay eight years in my service;  but if you wish it, you may stay ten.  I shall not deal harshly with you.;  Allah willing, you shall find me an upright man.”

 

“So be it between us,” said Moses.  “Whichever term I shall fulfill, I trust I shall not be wronged.  Allah is the witness of what we say.”

Al-Qasas       The Story  28:23-28

 

Moses and the fire on the mountain side

Two signs for Pharaoh

And when he had fulfilled his term and was journeying with his folk. Moses descried a fire on the mountain side.  He said to his people:  “Stay here, for I can see a fire.  Perhaps I can bring you news, or a lighted torch to warm yourselves with.”

 

When he came near, a voice called out to him from a bush in a blessed spot on the right side of the valley, saying:  “Moses, I am Allah, Lord of the Universe.  Throw down your staff.”

 

And when he saw it slithering like a serpent, he turned and fled, without a backward glance.

 

“Moses,”  said the voice, “approach and have no fear.  You are safe.  Put your hand in your pocket:  it will come out white, although unharmed.  Now draw back your arm, and do not stretch it out in terror.  These are two signs from your Lord for Pharaoh and his people.  Surely, they are sinful men”

Al-Qasas       The Story 28:29-32

 

 

 

Moses in Midian (Moses and Aaron)

Exodus 2:16-22    NKJV

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that you have come so soon today?" 19 And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock." 20 So he said to his daughters, "And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread." 21 Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."    

 

Exodus 2:23-25    NKJV

23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

 

The burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-12    NKJV

3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." 6 Moreover He said, "I am 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 upon God.

 

7 And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12 So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."    

 

Exodus 3:13-22    NKJV

13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " 15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' 16 "Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." ' 18 "Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.' 19 "But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."     

 

Exodus 4:1-9    NKJV

4:1 Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.' " 2 So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A rod." 3 And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." 6 Furthermore the LORD said to him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, "Put your hand in your bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. And the water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land."      

 

Exodus  4:10-18    NKJV

10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11 So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." 13 But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send." 14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

 

Exodus 4:18-23    NKJV

18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." 19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought your life." 20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. 21 And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn." ' "      

 

Exodus 4:27-31    NKJV

27 And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him. 28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

 

Moses and the Exodus from Egypt – altered

Moses and Pharaoh

The story of the Exodus from Egypt is radically altered in the Koran

 

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:47-61

Children of Israel, remember the favor I have bestowed upon you, and that I exalted you above the nations.  Guard yourselves against the day on which no soul shall stand for another:  when no intercession shall be accepted for it, no ransom be taken from it, no help be given it.

 

Remember how We delivered you from Pharaoh’s people, who had oppressed you cruelly, slaying your sons and sparing only your daughters.  Surely that was a great trial by your Lord.  We parted the sea fro you and, taking you to safety, drowned Pharaoh’s man before your very eyes.  We made a tryst with Moses for the fortieth night, and in his absence you took up the calf and thus committed evil.  Yet after that We pardoned you, so that you might give thanks.

 

We gave Moses the Scriptures and knowledge of right and wrong, so that you might be rightly guided.  Moses said to his people:  “You have wronged yourselves, my people, in worshipping the calf.  Turn in penitence to your creator and slay the culprits among you.  That will be best for you in your Creator’s sight.”  And He relented towards you.  He is the Relenting One, the Merciful.

 

When you said to Moses:  “We will not believe in you until we see Allah with our own eyes,”  the thunderbolt struck you while you were looking on.  Then We revived you from your stupor, so that you might give thanks.

 

We caused the clouds to draw their shadow over you and sent down for you manna and quails, saying:  “Eat of the good things We have given you.”  Indeed, they did not wrong Us, but they wronged themselves.

 

"Enter this city," We said, "and eat where you will to your hearts' content.  Make your way reverently through the gates, saying:  'We repent.'  We shall forgive you your sins and bestow abundance on the righteous."   But that which they were told the wrongdoers replaced with other words; and We let loose on the wrongdoers a scourge from heaven as punishment for their misdeeds.

 

When Moses requested water for his people We said to Him:  “Strike the Rock with your staff.”  Thereupon twelve springs gushed from the Rock, and each tribe knew their drinking place.  We said:  “Eat and drink of that which Allah has provided and do not foul the land with evil.”

 

“Moses,” you said, “we will no longer put up with this monotonous diet.  Call on your Lord to give us some of the varied produce of the earth, green herbs and cucumbers, corn and lentils and onions.”

 

“What!” he answered, “Would you exchange that which is good for you for what is worse?  Go back to some city.  There you will find all you have asked for.”

 

Shame and misery were stamped upon them and they incurred the wrath of Allah; because they disbelieved Allah’s signs and slew the prophets unjustly; because they were rebels and transgressors.

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:47-61

 

Moses and the Exodus from Egypt - altered

The story of the Exodus from Egypt is radically altered in its presentation in the Koran.

Al-A’raf      The Heights    7:103-170

 

After those We sent forth Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chieftains, but they too disbelieved them.  Consider the fate of the evil doers.

 

Moses said: “Pharaoh, I am an apostle from the Lord of Creation, and may tell nothing of Allah but what is true.  I bring you a clear sign from your Lord.  Let the Children of Israel depart with me.”

 

He answered:  “If you have brought a sign, show it to us.”

 

Moses threw down his staff, and thereupon it changed to a veritable serpent.  Then he drew out his hand, and it was white to all who saw it.

 

The elders of Pharaoh’s people said:  “This man is a skilful sorcerer who seeks to drive you from your land.  What would you have us do?”

 

Others said:  “Put them off awhile, him and his brother, and send forth heralds to the cities to summon every skilful sorcerer to your presence.”

 

The sorcerers came to Pharaoh.  They said:  “Shall we be rewarded if we win?”

 

He answered:  “Yes, and you shall become my favored friends.

 

They said:  “Moses, will you first throw, or shall we?”

 

“Throw.” He replied.

 

And when the magicians threw, they bewitched the people’s eyes and terrified them by a display of mighty sorcery.

 

Then We signaled to Moses:  “Now throw down your staff.”   And thereupon it swallowed up their false devices.

 

Thus did the truth prevail, and all their doings proved vain.  Pharaoh and his men were defeated and put to shame, and the enchanters prostrated themselves, saying:  “We believe in the Lord of Creation, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”

 

Pharaoh said:  Do you dare believe in Him before I give you leave?  This is a plot you have contrived to turn the people out of their city.  But you shall learn.  I will cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides and then crucify you all!” 

 

They replied:  “We shall surely return to our Lord.  You would punish us only because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they were shown to us.  Lord, give us patience and let us die in submission 

 

The elders of Pharaoh’s nation said:  “Will you allow Moses and his people to perpetrate corruption in the land and forsake you and your gods?”

 

He replied:  “We will put their sons to death and spare only their daughters.  We shall yet triumph over them.”

 

Moses said to his people:  “Seek help in Allah and be patient.  The earth is Allah’s; He gives it to those of His servants whom He chooses.  Happy shall be the lot of the righteous.”

 

They replied:  “We were oppressed before you came to us, and oppressed we still remain.”

 

He said:  “Your Lord will perchance destroy your enemies and make you rulers in the land.  Then He will see how you conduct yourselves.”

 

We afflicted Pharaoh’s people with dearth and famine so that they might take heed.  When good things came their way, thy said:  “It is our due,” but when evil befell them they ascribed it to Moses and his people.  Yet it was Allah who had ordained their ills, though most of them did not know it.

 

They said:  “Whatever miracles you work to enchant us, we will not believe in you.”

 

So We plagued them with floods and locusts, with lice and frogs and blood:  Clear miracles, yet they scorned them all, for they were a wicked nation.

 

And when each plague smote them, they said:  “Moses, pray to your Lord for us: invoke the promise He has made you.  If you lift the plague from us, we will believe in you and let the Israelites go with you.”

 

But when We had lifted the plague from them and the appointed time had come, they broke their promise.  So We took vengeance on them and drowned them in the sea, for they had denied Our signs and paid no heed to them.

 

We gave the persecuted people dominion over the eastern and western lands which We had blessed.  Thus was your Lord’s gracious word fulfilled for the Israelites, because they had endured with fortitude; and We destroyed the edifices and the towers of Pharaoh and his people.

 

We led the Israelites across the sea, and they came upon a people who worshipped idols which they had.  They said to Moses:  “Make us a god just like the gods they have.”

 

Moses replied:  “You are indeed an ignorant people.  That which they follow is doomed, and all their works are vain.  Am I to seek for you a deity other then Allah, when He has exalted you above the nations?  We delivered you from Pharaoh’s people, who had oppressed you cruelly, putting your sons to death and sparing only your daughters.  Surely that was a great trial by your Lord.”

 

We promised Moses thirty nights, to which We added ten nights more:  so that the appointment with his Lord was after forty nights.

 

Moses said to his brother Aaron:  “Take my place among my people.  Do what is right and do not follow the path of the wrongdoers.”

 

And when Moses came at the appointed time and His Lord communed with him, he said:  “Lord, reveal Yourself to me that I may look upon You.”

 

He replied:  “You shall never see Me.  But look upon the Mountain;  if it remains firm upon its base, then only shall you see Me.”

 

And when His Lord revealed Himself to the Mountain, He leveled it to dust.  Moses fell down senseless, and when he recovered, said:  “Glory be to You!  I turn to You in penitence, being the first of the believers.”

 

He replied:  “Moses, I have chosen you of all mankind to make known My messages and My commandments.  Take therefore what I have given you, and be thankful.”

 

We inscribed for him upon the Tablets all manner of precepts, and instructions concerning all things, and said to him:  “Observe these steadfastly, and enjoin your people to observe what is best in them.  I shall show you the home of the wicked. 

 

I will turn away from My signs those who lord it in the land with arrogance and injustice, so that even if they witness each and every sign they shall deny them.  If they see the right path, they shall not walk upon it:  but if they see the path of error, they shall chose it for their path; because they disbelieved Our signs and paid no heed to them.

 

Vain are the deeds of those who disbelieve in Our signs and in the life to come.  Shall they not be rewarded according only to their deeds?

 

In his absence the people of Moses made a calf from their ornaments, an image with a hollow sound.  Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor give them guidance?  Yet they worshipped it and thus committed evil.

 

But when they repented and realized that they had sinned they said:  “If our Lord does not have mercy on us and pardon us, we shall surely be among the lost..”

 

And when Moses returned to his people, angry and sorrowful, he said:  “Evil is the thing you did in my absence!  Would you hasten the retribution of your Lord?”

 

He threw down the Tablets and, seizing his brother by the hair, dragged him closer.

 

“Son of my mother,” cried Aaron, “the people overpowered me and almost did me to death.  Do not let my enemies gloat over me; do not number me among the wrongdoers.”

 

Moses said:  “Lord, forgive me and forgive my brother.  Admit us to Your mercy, for, of all those that show mercy, You are the most merciful.”

 

Those that worshipped the calf incurred the anger of their Lord and disgrace in this life.  Thus shall We reward those who fabricate falsehoods.  As for those that do evil but later repent and have faith, they shall find your Lord forgiving and merciful.

 

When his anger was allayed, Moses took up the Tablets, upon which was inscribed a pledge of guidance and of mercy to those who fear their Lord. 

 

He chose from among his people seventy men for Our appointment and, when the earth shook beneath their feet, said:  “Had it been Your will, Lord, You could have destroyed them long ago, and myself too.  But would You destroy us because of what the fools among us did?  That trial was ordained by You, to confound whom You willed and to guide whom You pleased.  You alone are our guardian.  Forgive us and have mercy on us:  You are the noblest of those who forgive.  Ordain for us what is good, both in this life and in the hereafter.  To You alone we turn.”

 

He replied:  “I will visit My scourge upon whom I please:  yet My mercy encompasses all things.  I will show mercy to those that keep from evil and give alms, and to those that in Our signs believe.”

 

“To those that shall follow the Apostle, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they shall find described to them in the Torah and the Gospel.  He will enjoin righteousness upon them and forbid them to do evil.  He will make good things lawful to them and prohibit all that is foul.  He will relieve them of their burdens and of the shackles that weigh upon them.  Those that believe in him and honor him, those that aid him and follow the light sent down with him, shall surely triumph.”

 

Say:  “You people!  I am Allah’s emissary to you all.  He has sovereignty over the heavens and the earth.  There is no god but Him.  He ordains life and death.  Therefore have faith in Allah and His apostle, the Unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His commandments.  Follow him so that you may be rightly guided.”

 

Yet among the people of Moses there are some who preach the truth and act justly.

 

We divided them into twelve tribes, each a whole community.  And when his people demanded drink of him, We revealed Our Will to Moses, saying:  “Strike the rock with your staff.”  Thereupon twelve springs gushed from the rock and each tribe knew its drinking place.

 

We caused the clouds to draw their shadow over them and sent down for them manna and quails, saying:  “Eat of the wholesome things We have given you.”  Indeed they did Us no wrong, but they wronged themselves.

 

 

[Added parts]

When they were told:  "Dwell in this town, and eat of whatever you please;  pray for forgiveness and enter the gates adoring:  We will forgive you your sins and bestow abundance on the righteous," - the wrongdoers among them replaced what they were told with other words; and We let loose on them a scourge from heaven as punishment for their misdeeds. 

 

Ask them about the town which overlooked the sea and what befell its people when they broke the Sabbath.  On their Sabbath the fish appeared before them floating on the water, but on week days they never came near them.  Thus did We tempt them because they had done wrong.

 

When some asked:  "Why do you admonish a people whom Allah will destroy or sternly punish?"  they replied:  "So that we may be free from blame in the sight of your Lord, and that they may guard themselves against evil."  Therefore when they forgot the warning they were given, We delivered those who had warned them against evil, and sternly punished the wrongdoers for their misdeeds.  And when they scornfully persisted in their forbidden ways, We said to them:  "Turn into detested apes."

 

Then your Lord declared that He would raise against them others who would oppress them cruelly till the Day of Resurrection.  Swift is the retribution of your Lord, yet is He forgiving and merciful.

 

We dispersed them through the earth in multitudes, some were righteous men, others were not, and tested them with blessings and misfortunes so that they might return to the right path.

 

Then others succeeded them who inherited the Book and took to the vanities of this nether life.  “We shall be forgiven.” They said.  And if such vanities came their way once more, they would again indulge in them.

 

Are they not committed in the Scriptures, which they have studied well, to tell nothing of Allah but what is true?  Surely the world to come is a better prize for those that keep from evil.  Have you no sense?

 

As for those that strictly observe the Scriptures and are steadfast in prayer, We shall not deny the righteous their reward.

Al-A’raf      The Heights    7:103-170

 

Suspended Mountain

When We suspended the Mountain over them as though it were a shadow (they feared that it was falling down on them) We said:  "Hold fast to that which We have given you and bear in mind what it contains, so that you nay keep from evil."

Al-A’raf      The Heights    7:171

 

Moses and Aaron & the Exodus

Then We sent forth Moses and Aaron with Our signs to Pharaoh and his nobles.  But they responded with scorn, for they were wicked men.  When the truth had come to them from us, they declared:  “Surely this is but plain sorcery/”

 

Moses replied:  “Is this what you say of the Truth when it has come to you?  Is this sorcery?  Sorcerers shall never prosper.”

 

They said:  “Have  you come to turn us away from the faith of our fathers, so that you two may lord it over the land?  We will never believe in the pair of you.”

 

Then Pharaoh said:  “Bring every learned sorcerer to my presence.”

 

And when the sorcerers attended, Moses said to them:  “Cast down what you wish to cast.”  And when they  had thrown, he said:  “The sorcery that you have wrought, Allah will surely bring to nothing.  He does not bless the work of those who do evil.  By His words He vindicates the truth, much as the guilty may dislike it.”

 

Few of his people believed in Moses, for they feared the persecution of Pharaoh and his nobles.  Surely Pharaoh was a tyrant in the land, a man of rampant wickedness.

 

Moses said:  “If you believe in Allah, my people, and have surrendered yourselves to Him, in Him alone then put your trust.”

 

They replied:  “In Allah we have put our trust.  Lord, do not let us suffer at the hands of wicked men.  Deliver us, through Your mercy, from the unbelievers.”

 

We revealed Our will to Moses and his brother, saying:  “Build houses in Egypt for your people and make your homes places of worship.  Conduct prayers and give good tidings to the faithful

 

Moses said:  “Lord, You have bestowed on Pharaoh and his nobles splendor and riches in this life, so that they may stray from Your path.  Lord, destroy their riches and harden their hearts, so that they shall persist in unbelief until they face the woeful scourge.”

 

Allah replied:  “Your prayer shall be answered.  Follow the straight path and do not walk in the footsteps of ignorant men.”

 

We led the Israelites across the sea, and Pharaoh and his legions pursued them with wickedness and spite.  But as he was drowning, Pharaoh cried:  “Now I believe no god exists except the God in whom the Israelites believe.  To Him I give up myself.”

 

Only now!  But before this you were a rebel and a wrongdoer.  We shall today save your body, so that you may become a sign for all posterity;  for a great many of mankind do not heed Our signs

Yunus     Jonah 10:74-92

 

Moses and the Exodus from Egypt

To Moses We gave nine clear signs.  Ask the Israelites how he first appeared among them.

 

Pharaoh said to him:  “Moses, I can see that you are bewitched.”

 

“You know full well,” he replied, “that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has revealed these visible signs.  Indeed, Pharaoh, I can see that you are doomed.”

 

He sought to scare them out of the land:  but We drowned him, together with all who were with him.  Then We said to the Israelites:  “Dwell in the land.  When the promise of the hereafter comes to be fulfilled, We shall assemble you all together.”

Al-Israa    The Night Journey  17:101-104

 

Moses and Aaron

In the Book tell also of Moses, who was a chosen man, an apostle, and a prophet.

 

We called out to him from the right side of the Mountain, and when he came near We communed with him in secret.  We gave him, of Our mercy, his brother Aaron, himself a prophet.

Maryam    Mary  19:51-53

 

Moses and Aaron

Have you heard the story of Moses?

 

When He saw a fire, he said to his people:  “Stay here, for I can see a fire.  Perchance I can bring you a lighted torch or find a guide hard by.

 

When he came near, a voice called out to him:  “Moses, I am your Lord.  Take off your sandals, for you are now in the sacred valley of Tuwa.

 

Know that I have chosen you.  Therefore listen to what shall be revealed.

 

I am Allah.  There is no god but Me.  Serve Me, and recite your prayers in My remembrance.

 

The Hour of Doom is sure to come.  But I choose to keep it hidden, so that every soul shall be rewarded for its labors.  Let those who disbelieve in it and yield to their desires not turn your thoughts from it, lest you perish.  What is it you are carrying in your right hand, Moses?”

 

He replied:  “It is my staff; upon it I lean and with it I beat down the leaves for my flock.  And I have other uses for it besides.”

 

He said, “Moses, cast it down.”

 

Moses threw it down, and thereupon it turned into a slithering serpent.

 

“Take it up and have no fear.”  He said.  “We will change it back to its former state.  Mow put your hand under your armpit.  It shall come out white, although unharmed:  another sign.

 

“We shall show you the most wondrous of all Our signs.  Go to Pharaoh;  he has transgressed all bounds.”

 

“Lord,”  said Moses, “put courage into my heart, and make my task easy.  Free my tongue from its impediment, that men may understand my speech.  Appoint for me a helper from among my kinsmen, Aaron my brother.  Grant me strength through him and let him share my task, so that we may give glory to You always and remember You always.  You are surely watching over us.

 

He replied:  “Your request is granted, Moses.  We had already shown you favor when We revealed Our will to your mother, saying:  ‘Put your child in the ark and let him be carried away by the river.  The river will cast him on to the bank, and he shall be taken up by an enemy of Mine and his.’  I lavished My love on you, so that you might be reared under My watchful eye.

 

“Your sister went to them and said:  ‘Shall I direct you to one who will nurse him?’ 

 

Thus did We restore you to your mother, so that her mind might be set at ease and that she might not grieve.

 

And when you slew a man We delivered you from distress and then proved you by other trials.

 

“You stayed among the people of Midian for many years, and at length you came here, Moses, as was ordained.  I have chosen you for Myself.  Go, you and your brother, with My signs, and do not cease to remember Me.  Go both of you to Pharaoh, for he has transgressed all bounds.  Speak to him with gentle words;  he may yet take heed and fear Our punishment.”

 

“Lord,”  they said, “we dread his malevolence and tyranny.”

 

He replied:  “Have no fear.  I shall be with you.  I hear all and see all.  Go to him and say:  ‘We are the messengers of your Lord.  Let the Israelites depart with us, and oppress them no more.  We have come to you with a revelation from your Lord:  blessed is he that follows the right guidance.  It is revealed to us that the scourge will fall on those who deny His signs and pay no heed to them.”’

 

Pharaoh said:  “And who is your Lord, Moses?”

 

“Our Lord,” he replied, “is He that gave all creatures their distinctive form and then rightly guided them.”

 

“How was it, then, with the early generations?”  asked Pharaoh.

 

He answered:  “My Lord alone has knowledge of that, recorded in a Book.  He does not err, neither dies He forget.  It is He who has made the earth your cradle and traced on it paths for you to walk on.  It is He who sends down water from the sky with which We bring forth every kind of plant, saying:  ‘Eat and graze your cattle.’  Surely in this there are signs for men of understanding.  From the earth We have created you, and to the earth We will restore you; and from it We will bring you back to life.”’

 

We showed Pharaoh all Our signs, but he denied them and paid no heed.  He said:  “Have you come to drive us from our land with your sorcery, Moses?  Know that we will confront you with sorcery as powerful as yours.  Appoint a day when both of us can meet, a tryst which neither we nor you shall fail to keep, and a place at an equal distance from us both.”

 

He replied:  “Meet me on the day of the Feast, and let all the people come together before noon.”

 

Pharaoh withdrew;  he gathered his sorcerers and returned.  “Woe betide you!” said Moses to them.  “Invent no falsehoods against Allah, or He will destroy you with a scourge.  Imposters will surely come to grief.”

 

The sorcerers conferred among themselves, whispering to one another.  They said to Pharaoh:  “These two are sorcerers who intend to drive you from your land by their sorcery and do away with your best traditions.  Muster all your forces and array them in their ranks; those who win today will surely triumph.”

 

To Moses they said:  “Will you throw down, or shall we throw down first?”

 

“Throw you down,” he answered.

 

And by their sorcery their ropes and staffs appeared to Moses’ eye as though they were running.

 

Moses was much alarmed.  But We said to him:  “Have no fear; you shall surely win.  Throw that which is in your right hand.  It will swallow up their devices, for their devices are but the deceitful show of a sorcerer.  Sorcerers shall not prosper, whatever they do.”

 

The Sorcerers prostrated themselves, crying:  “We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.

 

Do you dare believe in Him before I give leave?”  said Pharaoh.  “This man must be your master, who taught you witchcraft.  I will cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides and crucify you on the trunks of palm-trees.  You shall learn whose punishment is more terrible, and more lasting.”

 

They replied:  “We cannot have greater faith in you than in the miracles which we have witnessed and in Him who has created us.  Therefore do your worst; you can punish us only in this present life.  We have put our faith in our Lord so that He may forgive us our sins and the sorcery you have imposed upon us.  Better is Allah’s recompense, and more lasting.  He that comes before his Lord laden with sin shall be consigned to Hell, where he shall neither die nor live.  But he that comes before Him with true faith, having done good works, shall be exalted to the highest ranks.  He shall abide forever in the gardens of Eden, in gardens watered by running streams.  Such shall be the recompense of those that keep themselves pure.”

 

Then We revealed Our will to Moses, saying:  “Set forth with My servants in the night and strike for them a dry path across the sea.  Have no fear of being overtaken, nor let anything dismay you.”

 

Pharaoh pursued them with his legions, but the waters overwhelmed them.  For Pharaoh misled his people: he did not guide them.

 

Children of Israel!  We delivered you from your enemies and made a covenant with you on the right flank of the Mountain.  We sent down manna and quails for you.  “Eat of the wholesome things with which We have provided you and do not transgress, lest you should incur My wrath,”  We said.  “He that incurs My wrath shall assuredly be lost, but he that repents and believes in Me, does good works and follows the right path shall be forgiven.  But Moses, why have you come with such haste from your people?”

 

Moses replied:  “They are close behind me.  I hastened to You, Lord, so that I might earn Your pleasure.”

 

Allah said:  “We proved your people in your absence, but the Samiri has led them astray.”

 

Angry and sorrowful, Moses went back to them.  “My people,”  he said, “did your Lord not make you a gracious promise?  Did my absence seem too long to you, or was it to incur your Lord’s anger that you failed me?”

 

They replied:  “We did not fail you of our own free will.  We were made to carry the people’s trinkets and throw them into the fire.  The Samiri threw likewise, and forged a calf for them, an image with a hollow sound.”  “This,”  they said, “is your god and the god of Moses whom he has forgotten.”

 

Did they not see that it returned no answer, and that it could neither harm nor help them?

 

Aaron had said to them:  “My people, this is but a test for you.  Your Lord is Merciful.  Follow me and do as I bid you.”  But they had replied:  “We will worship it until Moses returns.”

 

Moses said to Aaron:  “Why did you not seek me out when you saw them go astray?  Why did you disobey me?”

 

“Son of my mother,”  he replied, “let go, I pray you, of my beard and my head.  I was afraid that you might say:  “You have sown discord among the Israelites and did not wait for my orders.

 

“Samiri,” cried Moses, “what had come over you?”

 

He replied:  “I saw what they did not see.  I took a handful of dust from the trail of the messenger and flung it away: thus did my soul prompt me.”

 

“Go,” cried Moses.  “An outcast shall you be in this life, nor shall you escape your appointed doom.  Behold this idol which you have served with such devotion:  we will burn it to cinders and scatter its ashes far and wide over the sea.”

 

Your Lord is Allah, other than whom there is no god.  His knowledge encompasses all things.

 

Thus do We recount to you the history of past events.  A Scripture of Our own have We given you:  those that reject it shall bear a heavy burden on the Day of Resurrection.  Forever shall they bear it: an evil burden on the Day of Resurrection, the day when the Trumpet shall be blown.

 

On that day We shall assemble all the sinners.  Their eyes will turn blue with terror and they shall murmur among themselves:  “You lingered on the earth but ten days.”

 

We know full well what they will say.  The most upright among them will declare:  “You lingered on the earth but one day.”

Ta’ Ha’  20:9-104

 

Moses, and Aaron

We showed Moses and Aaron the distinction between right and wrong, and gave them a light and an admonition for righteous men:  those:  those who truly fear their Lord, although unseen, and dread the terrors of the final hour.

Al-Anbiyaa     The prophets 21:48-49

 

Moses and Aaron and the Koran

Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron, with Our signs and with clear authority, to Pharaoh and his nobles.  But they received them with contempt, for they were arrogant men.  “What!”  said they. “Are we to believe in two men like ourselves, whose people are our bondsmen?”  They denied them, and thus incurred destruction.  And We gave Moses the Book, so that they might be rightly guided.

Al-Muminun      The Believers  23:45-49

 

Moses and Aaron

We gave the Book to Moses and assigned to him his brother Aaron as a helper.  We sent them to those who had denied Our signs, and utterly destroyed them.

Al-Furqan  25:35-36

 

Moses and Pharaoh

Your Lord called out to Moses, saying:  “Go to those wicked people, the people of Pharaoh.  Will they not take heed?”

 

“Lord,” he replied, “I fear they will reject me.  I may become impatient and stammer in my speech.  Send for Aaron.  They accuse me of a crime, and I fear that they may put me to death.”

 

“Have no fear,” said He.  “Go both of you with Our signs;  We shall be with you and shall hear all.  Go to Pharaoh and say to him: ‘We are messengers from the Lord of the Universe.  Let the Israelites depart with us.’”

 

Pharaoh said to Moses:  “Did we not bring you up when you were an infant?  And did you not stay in our midst several years of your life?  Yet you have done what you have done; surely you are ungrateful.”

 

Moses replied:  “I did that when I was a misguided youth.  I fled from you because I feared you.  But my Lord has given me wisdom and made me an apostle.  And this is the favor with which you taunt me: you have made the Israelites your bondsmen.”

 

“Who is the Lord of the Universe?” asked Pharaoh. 

 

He replied:  “The Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that lies between them.  If only you had faith!”

 

“Do you hear?” said Pharaoh to those around him.

 

“He is your Lord,” went on Moses, “and the Lord of your forefathers.”

 

Pharaoh said:  “The apostle who has been sent to you is surely possessed!”

 

“The Lord of the East and the West,” said Moses, “and all that lies between them.  If only you could understand!”

 

“If you serve any other god but myself,” replied Pharaoh, “I shall have you thrown into prison.”

 

“Even if I showed you a convincing sign?” said Moses.

 

He replied:  “Show us your sign, if what you say be true.”

 

Moses threw down his staff and thereupon it changed to a veritable serpent.  Then he drew out his hand, and it was white to all who saw it.

 

“This man,” he said to the nobles around him, “is a skilful sorcerer who seeks to drive you from your land by his sorcery.  What is your counsel?”

 

They replied:  “Put them off a while, him and his brother, and send forth heralds to the cities to summon every skilled enchanter to your presence.”

 

The sorcerers were gathered on an appointed day, and the people were asked if they had all assembled.  They declared:  “We will follow the sorcerers if they win the day.”

 

And when the sorcerers came they said to Pharaoh:  “Shall we be rewarded if we win?”

 

“Yes,” he answered, “and you shall become my favored friends.”

 

Moses said to them:  “Throw down all that you wish to throw.”

 

They cast down their ropes and staffs, saying:  “By Pharaoh’s glory, we shall surely win.”

 

Then Moses threw down his staff, and it swallowed their false devices.  The sorcerers prostrated themselves in adoration, saying:  “We now believe in the Lord of the Universe, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”

 

Pharaoh said, “Do you dare believe in him before I give you leave?  He must surely be your master, who has taught you witchcraft.  But you shall see.  I will cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides and crucify you all.”

 

“That cannot harm us,” they replied, “For to our Lord we shall return.  We trust that our Lord will forgive us our sins, since we are the first who have believed.”

Ash-Shu’araa       The Poets  26:10-51

 

Moses and Exodus from Egypt

Then We revealed Our will to Moses, saying:  “Set forth with My servants in the night, for you will be pursued.”

 

Pharaoh sent forth heralds to all the cities.  “These,” they said, “are but a puny band, who have provoked us much.  But we are a numerous army, well prepared.”

 

Thus did We make them leave their gardens and their fountains, their treasures and their sumptuous dwellings.  Even thus; and to the Israelites We gave those.

 

At sunrise the Egyptians followed them.  And when the two multitudes came within sight of each other, Moses’ companions said:  “We are surely undone!”

 

“No,”  Moses replied, “my Lord is with me, and He will guide me.”

 

We bade Moses strike the sea with his staff, and the sea was cleft asunder, each part as high as a massive mountain.  In between We made the others follow.  We delivered Moses and all who were with him, and drowned the rest.

 

Surely in that there was a sign; yet most of them did not believe.  Truly, your Lord is the Mighty One, the merciful.

Ash-Shu’araa       The Poets  26:52-68

 

Moses and signs for Pharaoh

You have received the Koran from Him who is wise and all knowing.  Tell of Moses, who said to his people:  “I can descry a fire.  I will go and bring you news and a lighted torch to warm yourselves with.” 

 

And when he came near, a voice called out to him:  “Blessed be He who is in the fire and all around it!  Glory to Allah, Lord of the universe!  Moses, I am Allah, the Mighty, the Wise One.  Throw down your staff.”

 

And when he saw it slithering like a serpent, he turned and fled, without a backward glance.

 

“Moses, do not be alarmed,”  said He, “My apostles are never afraid in My presence.  As for those who sin and then do good after evil, I am forgiving and merciful to them.”  

 

“Put your hand into your pocket, it will come out white, although unharmed.  This is but one of the nine signs for Pharaoh and his people;  surely they are wicked men.”

 

But when Our visible signs were shown to them and they said:  “This is plain sorcery.”  Their souls knew them to be true, yet they denied them in their wickedness and their pride.  Consider the fate of the evil doers.

Al-Naml      The Ant   27:6-14

 

Moses and Exodus from Egypt

“Lord,”  said Moses, “I have killed one of their number and fear that they will slay me.  Aaron my brother is more fluent of tongue than I;  send him with me that he may help me and confirm my words, for I fear they will reject me.”

 

He replied: “We will strengthen your arm with your brother, and will bestow such power on you both, that none shall harm you.  Set forth, with Our signs.  You and those who follow you, shall surely triumph.”

 

And when Moses came to them with Our undoubted signs, they said:  “This is nothing but baseless sorcery, nor have we heard of the like among our forefathers.”

 

Moses replied:  My Lord knows best the man who brings guidance from His presence and gains the recompense of the life to come.  The wrongdoers shall never prosper.”

 

“Nobles,” said Pharaoh, “you have no other god that I know of except myself.  Make me, Haman, bricks of clay and build for me a tower that I may climb to the god of Moses.  I am convinced that he is lying.”

 

Pharaoh and his warriors conducted themselves with arrogance and injustice in the land, thinking they would never be recalled to Us.  But We took him and his warriors, and We cast them into the sea.  Consider the fate of the evil doers.

 

We made them leaders who called men to the Fire. But on the Day of Resurrection none shall help them.  In this world We laid a curse on them, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be among the damned.

 

After We destroyed the first generations We gave the Book to Moses as a clear sign, a guide and a blessing for mankind. So that they might take thought.

Al-Qasas       The Story  28:33-43

 

Moses and Aaron

We showed favor to Moses and Aaron and delivered them, with all their people, from the mighty scourge.  We succored them, and they became victorious.  We gave them the Glorious Book and guided them to the straight path.  We bestowed on them the praise of later generations:  “Peace be on Moses and Aaron!”

 

Thus do We reward the righteous.  They were two of Our believing servants.

As-Saffat   The Ranks   37:114-122

 

Moses, Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah

We sent Moses with our signs and with clear authority to Pharaoh, Haman, and Korah.  But they said:  “A sorcerer, a teller of lies.”

 

And when he brought them the Truth from Our self, they said:  “Put to death the sons of those who share his faith, and spare only their daughters.”  Futile were the schemes of the unbelievers.

 

Pharaoh said:  “Let me slay Moses, and then let him invoke his god!  I fear that he will change your religion and spread disorder un the land.”

 

Moses said:  “I take refuge in my Lord and in your Lord from every tyrant who denies the Day of Reckoning.”

 

But one of Pharaoh’s kinsmen, who in secret was a true believer, said:  “Would you slay a man merely because he says:  “My Lord is Allah”?  He has brought you evident signs from your Lord.  If he is lying, may his lie be on his head; but if he is speaking the truth, a part at least of what he threatens will smite you.  Allah does not guide the lying transgressor.  Today you are the masters, my people, illustrious throughout the earth.  But who will save us from the might of Allah when it bears down upon us?”

 

Pharaoh said:  “I have told you what I think.  I will surely guide you to the right path.”

 

He who was a true believer said:  “I warn you, my people, against the fate which overtook the factions:  the people of Noah, ‘Ad, and Thamud, and those that came after them.  Allah does not seek to wrong His servants.”

 

“I warn you, my people, against the day when men will cry out to one another, when you will turn and flee, with none to defend you against Allah.  He whom Allah confounds shall have none to guide him.  Long before this, Joseph came to you with veritable signs, but you never ceased to doubt them; and when he died you said:  “After him Allah will never send another apostle.”  Thus Allah confounds the doubting transgressor.  Those who dispute Allah’s revelations, with no authority vouchsafed to them, are held in deep abhorrence by Allah and by the faithful.  Thus Allah seals up the heart of every scornful tyrant.”

 

Pharaoh said to Haman:  “Build me a tower that I may reach the highways – the very highways – of the heavens, and look upon the god of Moses.  I am convinced that he is lying.

 

Thus was Pharaoh seduced by his foul deeds and was turned away from the right path.  Pharaoh’s cunning led to nothing but perdition.

Gafir   The Believer  40:23-37

 

Moses

We sent forth Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his nobles.  He said:  “I am the apostle of the Lord  of the Universe.”   But when he showed them Our signs they laughed at them; yet each fresh sign We revealed to them was more powerful than the one that came before.  We therefore smote them with the scourge, so that they might return to the right path.

 

“Sorcerer,”  they said, “pray for us to your Lord and invoke the promise He has made you.  We will accept your guidance.”

 

But when We removed the scourge from them, they broke their pledge.

 

Pharaoh made a proclamation to his people.  “My people,”  said he, “is the kingdom of Egypt not mine, and are these rivers which flow at my feet not mine also?  Can you not see?  Am I not better than this despicable wretch, who can scarcely make his meaning plain?  Why have no bracelets of gold been given him, or angels sent down to accompany him?”

 

Thus did he incite his people.  They obeyed him, for they were degenerate men.  And when they provoked Us, We took vengeance on them and drowned them all, as a lesson and an example to those who succeeded them.

Az-Zukhruf    Ornaments of Gold  43:46-56

 

Exodus from Egypt

We tested Pharaoh’s people long before them.  A gracious apostle came to them, saying:  “Hand over to me Allah’s servants.  I am a truthful messenger.  Do not hold yourselves above Allah.  I bring you clear authority.  I adjure you by Him who is my Lord and your Lord not to stone me.  If you have no faith in me, leave me to myself.

 

Then he cried out to his Lord, saying:  “These are sinful men.”

 

He answered:  “Set forth with My servants in the night, for you will be pursued.  Leave the sea at rest behind you.  They are warriors doomed to drown.”

 

How many gardens, how many fountains, they left behind them!  Cornfields, an noble palaces, an good things in which they took delight.  All this they left, and what was once theirs We gave to other men.  Neither heaven nor earth shed tears for them; nor were they reprieved.  We saved the Israelites from the degrading scourge, from Pharaoh, who was a tyrant and a transgressor, and chose them knowingly above the nations.  We showed them miracles which tested them beyond all doubt.

 

Yet the unbelievers say:  “We shall die but one death, nor shall we ever be raised to life.  Bring back to us our fathers, if what you say be true.”

Ad-Dukhan  Smoke   44:17-36

 

Pharaoh and his people

We have made the Koran easy to remember:  but will any take heed?

 

To Pharaoh’s people also came the warnings.  But they disbelieved all Our signs, and We smote them with the scourge of the Mighty One, and All-powerful.

 

Are you unbelievers better men than these?  Or are you given immunity in the Scriptures?

 

Do they say:  “We are a victorious army?  Their army shall be routed and put to flight.

 

The Hour of Doom is their appointed time.  More calamitous, and more doleful, shall that Hour be than all their worldly trials.

Al-Qamar   The Moon   54:40-46

 

Moses

Tell of Moses, who said to his people:  “Why do you seek to harm me, my people, when you know that I am sent to you by Allah?”  And when they went astray, Allah led their very hearts astray.  Allah does not guide the evil doers.

As-Saff    Battle Array   61:5

 

Moses and Pharaoh

Have you heard the story of Moses?

 

His Lord called out to him in the sacred valley of Tuwa, saying:  “Go to Pharaoh:  he has transgressed all bounds; and say:  ‘Will you reform yourself?  I will guide you to your Lord, so that you may have fear of Him.’”

 

He showed Pharaoh the mightiest sign, but he denied it and rebelled.  He quickly went away and , summoning all his men, made to them a proclamation.  “I am your supreme Lord,”  he said.

 

Allah smote him with the scourge of the hereafter, and of this life.  Surely in this there is a lesson for those who fear Allah.

An-Nazi’at    The Soul Snatchers    79:15-26

Moses and the Exodus from Egypt

Moses and Pharaoh

Exodus 5:1-23    NKJV

5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.' " 2 And Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go." 3 So they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor." 5 And Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!" 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 "You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.' 9 "Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words."

 

10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, "Thus says Pharaoh: 'I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.' " 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, "Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw." 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, "Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?"

 

15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, 'Make brick!' And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people." 17 But he said, "You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.' 18 "Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks." 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota."

 

20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, "Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

 

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."  

 

Exodus 6:1-9    NKJV

6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."

 

2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD (Yehowah). 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as (El Shadday) God Almighty, but by My name, (Yehowah) LORD, I was not known to them. 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: '

P      I am (Yehowah) the LORD;

P      I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,

P      I will rescue you from their bondage, and

P      I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

P      7 I will take you as My people, and

P      I will be your God.

Then you shall know that I am (Yehowah Elohey) the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And

P      I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' "

9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

 

Exodus 6:10-13    NKJV

10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land." 12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, "The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?" 13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

 

Exodus 6:28-30    NKJV

28 And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "I am the LORD. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you." 30 But Moses said before the LORD, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?"

 

Exodus 7:1-7    NKJV

7:1 So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, to send the children of Israel out of his land. 3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them." 6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

 

Sign; Rod turned into serpent

Exodus 7:8-13    NKJV

8 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 "When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, 'Show a miracle for yourselves,' then you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.' " 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.    

 

Plagues described in Exodus:

7:14-25  Waters of Egypt turn to Blood

8:1-15       Frogs

8:16-19     Lice

8:20-32     Flies

9:1-7         Disease on animals

9:8-12       Boils on man and animals

9:13-35     Hail and fire

10:1-20     Locusts

10:21-29    Darkness

11:1 through 12:36   Death of the First Born of man and animal  (Passover)

 

Plague 1; Water turned to blood

Exodus 7:14-25    NKJV

14 So the LORD said to Moses: "Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river's bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 And you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed, until now you would not hear! 17 Thus says the LORD: "By this you shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and they shall be turned to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will loathe to drink the water of the river." ' "

 

19 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.' " 20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 Then the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments; and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river. 25 And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.           

 

Plague 2; Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15    NKJV

8:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. 3 So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls. 4 And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants." ' "

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.' " 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Entreat the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the LORD." 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, "Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only." 10 So he said, "Tomorrow." And he said, "Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only." 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. 13 So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields. 14 They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said.

 

Plague 3; Lice

Exodus 8:16-19    NKJV

16 So the LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron, 'Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' " 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

 

Plague 4; Flies

Exodus 8:20-32    NKJV

20 And the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 21 Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. 23 I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be." ' " 24 And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.

25 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land." 26 And Moses said, "It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? 27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us." 28 And Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me." 29 Then Moses said, "Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD." 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. 31 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.

 

Plague 5; Disease on Beasts

Exodus 9:1-7    NKJV

9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep. There will be a very severe pestilence. 4 And the LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel." ' " 5 Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land." 6 So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. 7 Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.

 

Plague 6; Boils on Man and Beasts

Exodus 9:8-12    NKJV

8 So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt." 10 Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

 

Plague 7; Hail and Fire

Exodus 9:13-35    NKJV

13 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me, 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. 15 Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. 17 As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. 19 Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die." ' " 20 He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. 21 But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.

 

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt--on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt." 23 And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.

 

27 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer." 29 And Moses said to him, "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD's. 30 But as for you and your servants, I know that you will not yet fear the LORD God." 31 Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops. 33 So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and spread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

 

Plague 8; Locust

Exodus 10:1-2    NKJV

10:1 Now the LORD said to Moses, "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son's son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD."              

 

Exodus 10:3-20    NKJV

3 So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 4 Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians--which neither your fathers nor your fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.' " And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. 7 Then Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?" 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?" 9 And Moses said, "We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD." 10 Then he said to them, "The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11 Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

 

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land--all that the hail has left." 13 So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

 

16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. 17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only." 18 So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD. 19 And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

 

Plague 9; Darkness

Exodus 10:21-29    NKJV

21 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

 

24 Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you." 25 But Moses said, "You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. 26 Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there."

 

27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!" 29 And Moses said, "You have spoken well. I will never see your face again."

 

Plague 10; Death of the First Born

Exodus 11:1-8    NKJV

11:1 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will bring yet one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold." 3 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

 

4 Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. 6 Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. 7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.' 8 "And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, 'Get out, and all the people who follow you!' After that I will go out." Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

 

Exodus 11:9-10    NKJV

9 But the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt." 10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; and the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

 

Exodus 12:29-36    NKJV

29 And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

 

31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also." 33 And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead." 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

 

Exodus 12:37-42    NKJV

37 Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38 A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds--a great deal of livestock. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

 

40 Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years--on that very same day--it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.          

 

Exodus 12:50-51    NKJV

50 Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.           

 

Exodus 13:1-2    NKJV

13:1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."

 

Exodus 13:3-16    NKJV

3 And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.' 9 "It shall be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD's law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

 

11 "And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD's. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' 16 "It shall be as a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."

 

Exodus 13:17-22    NKJV

17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you." 20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.         

 

Crossing the Red Sea   Exodus 14:1-31 

Exodus 14:1-9

14:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.' 4 "Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And they did so.

 

5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.         

 

Exodus 14:10-18    NKJV

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness." 13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

 

15 And the LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

 

Exodus 14:19-25    NKJV

19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

 

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians."            

 

Exodus 14:26-31   NKJV 

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

 

30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

 

Manna and Quail

Exodus 16:1-36    NKJV

16:1 And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. 5 And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily." 6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?" 8 Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD."

9 Then Moses spoke to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, 'Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.' " 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 "I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.' "

13 So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.' " 17 And the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need. 19 And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning." 20 Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.' " 24 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none." 27 Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. 28 And the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

32 Then Moses said, "This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: 'Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' " 33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations." 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

NKJV

 

Water from the rock

Exodus 17:1-7,   Strike the Rock

Numbers 20:2-13  Speak to the Rock

Exodus 17:1-7    NKJV

17:1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, "Give us water, that we may drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?" 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!" 5 And the LORD said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

 

Laws given by God speaking from the Mountain with the people standing before the mountain

Moses wrote all the words of the Lord in a book and read it to the people.

Exodus 19:1 through 24:11

 

Seeing God on the Mountain

Exodus 24:1-11    NKJV

24:1 Now He said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him."

 

3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the LORD has said we will do." 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words."

 

9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.    

 

Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God and given to Moses while he was on the mountain the first forty days and forty nights.

At this time God gave Moses the instructions for the Tabernacle and consecration of the Priests.

Exodus 24:12 Through 31:18, Deut 9:9-11

 

New tablets of stone

Second forty days and forty nights

God renewed the covenant and rewrote the Ten Commandments on the two tablets of stone Moses had cut out and carried up the mountain with him.

Exodus 34:28-29, Deuteronomy 10:1-5

 

Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-6     NKJV

32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." 2 And Aaron said to them, "Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD." 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

 

Moses confronted the people over the Golden Calf:

Exodus 32:7-35    NKJV

7 And the LORD said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' " 9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."

11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' " 14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp." 18 But he said:

"It is not the noise of the shout of victory, Nor the noise of the cry of defeat, But the sound of singing I hear."

19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?" 22 So Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, 'Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' 24 "And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out."

25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the LORD's side, come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.' " 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother."

30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written." 33 And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin."

35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.   

 

Exodus 33:12-23    NKJV

12 Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' 13 "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." 14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth."

 

17 So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." 18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." 19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 21 And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

 

Exodus 34:1-9    NKJV

34:1 And the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. 2 So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain. 3 And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain."

 

4 So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone. 5 Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." 8 So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. 9 Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance."    Exodus 34 1-9     NKJV

 

Water from the rock

When Moses requested water for his people, We said to him;  "Strike the rock with your staff."

Thereupon twelve springs gushed from the rock, and each tribe knew their drinking place.

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:60

Al-A-Raf     The Heights 7:160

 

Water from the rock

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.  

Exodus 17:6   NKJV

Manna and Quail

You said to Moses, "We will no longer put up with this monotonous diet.  Call on your Lord to give us some of the varied produce of the earth, green herbs, and cucumbers, corn, lentils, and onions."  What! He answered, would you exchange that which is good for what is worse? Go back to some city.  There you will find all you have asked for.

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:61

 

 

Manna and Quail

The people complained.

Moses interceded for the people.

God strengthened Moses and assigned helpers.

God sent Manna and quail.

God struck the people with a plague.

 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.  

Numbers 11:4-34   NKJV

Moses and the Scriptures

To Moses We gave the Scriptures and after him We sent other apostles, We gave Jesus son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.......

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:87

 

….And now (referring to the Koran) a Book confirming their own has come to them from Allah. 

Al-Baqarah    The Cow 2:89

 

Moses, Israel, the Scriptures, and the Koran

We gave Moses the Book and made it a guide for the Israelites, saying:  “Take no other guardian than Myself.  You are the descendants of those whom We carried in the ark with Noah.  He was a truly thankful servant.

 

In the Book we solemnly declared to the Israelites:  “Twice you shall do evil in the land.  You shall become great transgressors.”

 

And when the prophecy of your first transgression came to be fulfilled, We sent against you a formidable army which ravaged your land and carried out the punishment you had been promised.

 

Then We granted you victory over them and multiplied your riches and your descendants, so that once again you became more numerous than they.  We said:  “If you do good, it shall be to your advantage; but if you do evil, you shall sin against your own souls.”

 

When the prophecy of your next transgression came to be fulfilled, We sent another army to afflict you and to enter the Temple as the former entered it before, utterly destroying all that they laid their hands on.

 

We said:  “Your Lord may yet be merciful to you.  If you again transgress, you shall again be scourged.  We have made Hell a prison house for the unbelievers.”

 

This Koran will give guidance to that which is most upright.  It promises the faithful who do good works a rich recompense, and those who deny the life to come a woeful scourge.  Yet man prays for evil as fervently as he prays for good.  Truly, man is ever impatient.

Al-Israa    The Night Journey   17:2-11

 

Moses and Aaron and the Koran

Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron, with Our signs and with clear authority, to Pharaoh and his nobles.  But they received them with contempt, for they were arrogant men.  “What!”  said they. “Are we to believe in two men like ourselves, whose people are our bondsmen?”  They denied them, and thus incurred destruction.  And We gave Moses the Book, so that they might be rightly guided.

Al-Muminun      The Believers  23:45-49

 

Moses and Aaron

We gave the Book to Moses and assigned to him his brother Aaron as a helper.  We sent them to those who had denied Our signs, and utterly destroyed them.

Al-Furqan  25:35-36

 

Moses and the Scriptures

You were not present

You were not present on the western side of the Mountain when We charged Moses with his commission, nor did you witness the event.  We raised many generations after him whose lives were prolonged.  You did not dwell among the people of Midian, nor did you recite to them Our revelations; but is was We who sent you forth.

 

You were not present on the mountain side when We called out.  Yet have We sent you forth, as a blessing from your Lord, to forewarn a nation to whom no one has been sent before, so that they may take heed and may not say, when evil befalls them on account of their misdeeds:  “Lord, had You sent us an apostle, we should have obeyed Your revelations and believed in them.”

 

And now that they have received the truth from Us, they ask:  “Why is he not given the like of what was given to Moses?”  But do they not deny what was formerly given to Moses?  They say:  “Two works of sorcery complementing one another!”  And they declare:  “We will believe in neither of them.”

 

Say:  “Bring down from Allah a scripture that is a better guide then these and I will follow it, if what you say be true!”

 

If they make you no answer, know that they are led by their desires.  And who is in greater error than the man who is led by his desire, without guidance from Allah?  Allah does not guide the evil doers.

 

We have caused the Word to reach them so that they may take thought,  Those to whom We gave the Scriptures before this believe in it.  When it is recited to them they say:  “We believe in it; it is the truth from our Lord.  We submitted to Him long before it came.”

 

Twice shall their reward be given them, because they have endured with fortitude, requiting evil with good and giving in alms from what We gave them; and because they pay no heed to idle talk, but say:  “We have our actions and you have yours.  We wish you peace.  We will have nothing to do with ignorant men.”

Al-Qasas       The Story 28:44-55

 

Scriptures the Book

We gave the Book to Moses (never doubt that you will meet him) and made it a guide for the Israelites.  And when they grew steadfast and firmly believed in Our revelations, We appointed leaders from among them who gave guidance at Our bidding.  On the Day of Resurrection your Lord will resolve their differences for them.

As-Sajda     Adoration  32:23-25

 

 

Moses and the Scriptures

Ex 19:14-25     NKJV

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives."

 

16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. 20 Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." 23 But Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.' " 24 Then the LORD said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them." 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

NKJV

 

Exodus 20:1-26    NKJV

20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

18 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 20 And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

22 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be with Me--gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.'

NKJV

 

Exodus 24:3-8    NKJV

3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the LORD has said we will do." 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient." 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, "This is the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you according to all these words."

 

Covenant

We made a covenant with you, as We did with the other prophets; with Noah and Abraham, with Moses and Jesus son of Mary.  A solemn covenant We made with them, so that He might question the truthful about their truthfulness.  But for the unbelievers He has prepared a woeful punishment.

Al-Ahzab     The Confederate Tribes  33:7-8

 

 

Covenant

Exodus 34:10-17     NKJV

10 And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. 11 Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. 13 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images 14(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. 17 You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.

 

Moses’ search for guidance

Moses said to his servant:  “I will journey on until I reach the land where the two seas meet, though I may march for ages.”

 

But when at last they came to the land where the two seas met, they forgot their fish, which made its way into the water, swimming at will.

 

And when they had journeyed farther on, Moses said to his servant:  “Bring us some food; we are worn out with traveling.”

 

“Know,” he replied, “that I forgot the fish when we were resting on the rock.  It was Satan who made me forget to mention this.  The fish made its way miraculously into the sea.”

 

“This is what we have been seeking,”  said Moses.  They went back the way they came, and found one of Our servants to whom We had vouchsafed Our mercy and whom We had endowed with knowledge of Our own.  Moses said to him:  “May I follow you, so that you may guide me by that which you have been taught?” 

 

“You will not bear with me,”  replied the other.  “For how can you bear with that which is beyond your knowledge?”

 

Moses said:  “If Allah wills, you shall find me patient:  I shall in no way cross you.”

 

He said:  “If you are bent on following me, you must not question me about anything until I mention it to you myself.”

 

The two set forth, but as soon as they embarked, Moses’ companion bored a hole in the bottom of the ship.

 

“Is it to drown her passengers that you have bored a hold in her?” Moses asked.  “A strange thing you have done.”

 

“Did I not tell you,” he replied “that you would not bear with me?”

 

“Pardon my forgetfulness,”  said Moses.  “Do not be angry with me on account of this.”

 

They journeyed on until they fell in with a certain youth.  Moses’ companion slew him, and Moses said:  “You have killed an innocent man who has slain no one.  Surely you have done a wicked thing.”

 

“Did I not tell you,” he replied, “that you would not bear with me?”

 

Moses said:  “If ever I question you again, abandon me;  for then I should deserve it.”

 

They traveled on until they came to a city.  They asked its people for some food, but they declined to receive them as their guests.  There they found a wall on the point of falling down.  His companion restored it, and Moses said:  “Had you wished, you could have demanded payment for your labors.”

 

“Now has the time arrived when we must part,”  said the other.  “But first I will explain to you those acts of mine which you could not bear to watch with patience.”

 

“Know that the ship belonged to some poor fishermen.  I damaged it because at their rear there was a king who was taking every ship by force.”

 

“As for the youth, his parents both are true believers, and we feared lest he should plague them with wickedness and unbelief.  It was our wish that their Lord should grant them another in his place, a son more righteous and more filial.”

 

“As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city whose father was an honest man.  Beneath it their treasure is buried.  Your Lord decreed, as a mercy from your Lord, that they should dig up their treasure when they grew to manhood.  What I did was not done by my will.”

 

“That is the meaning of what you could not bear to watch with patience.”

Al-Kahf    The Cave 18:60-82

Another fictitious Story

This is a story the like of which is not recorded in the Bible concerning anyone in their search for guidance.  It is however very similar to a story of Buddha and clearly follows the flow of the rest or the stories of the Koran. This indicates it is written by the same person and comes from the same source. 

 

The conversations supposedly Quoted in the Koran all have a common flow, style, and mannerism which is clearly from one man’s thought processes rather than from the individual thought processes of the different characters they are supposedly representing.  This adds to the troubling nature of the recorded work.

 

However it surely fulfills Scriptures that warn of the deceivers of the Last Days:

 

2 Tim 4:3-4    NKJV

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

 

Deut 11:16    NKJV

16 "Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them,

 

2 Tim 3:13-14    NKJV

13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

 

Matt 24:11-12

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

NKJV

 

Matt 24:24

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

NKJV

 

Eph 5:6-7

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

NKJV

 

1 John 3:7-8

7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

NKJV