JMNT(i)
15 "Thus Jacob walked down into Egypt. Later he came to his end – he and our fathers –
16 "and they were transferred into Shechem, then they were placed within the memorial tomb which Abraham [in the person of Jacob] purchased for a price (or: a certain sum) – in silver – from the sons of Hamor, in Shechem.
17 "Now just as the time of the Promise (the succession of time pertaining to the Promise) – that which God covenanted in speaking the same Word, consenting agreement [p45, D & others: promised], to (for; in) Abraham – drew near, the People 'grew (increased in number) and was multiplied,' within Egypt,
18 "until which [time] 'a different king stood up upon Egypt – one who had not seen or known Joseph.' [Ex. 1:7-8]
19 "This one, devising shrewdly (cleverly plotting to outwit and deal insidiously) against our race (family stock; kindred group), treated the fathers (the ancestors) badly – to be habitually making their infants (or: newborn babies) [to be] placed outside and exposed, unto the [result for them] to not continue to be kept alive as a living being (= to be abandoning their babies in the open so they would die) –
20 "in the midst of which opportune situation and appointed season, Moses was born, and he was well-bred and refined (with the qualities of an urban person [as opposed to an ill-bred country urchin]) by God (or: handsome to God; attractive for God), and who was nursed and nurtured (reared up) for three months in his father's house.
21 "So, at his being exposed by being placed outside [D adds: beside (E reads: into) the river], the daughter of Pharaoh took him up for herself, and then she nourished him and reared him into [being] her own son.
22 "Then Moses was child-trained, disciplined and educated in and by all the wisdom of and from [the] Egyptians. Now thus he was being powerful and able in his words, thoughts, ideas and verbal expression – as well as in his acts and works.
23 "Now as forty year's time was progressively being fulfilled to (or: for; in; by; with) him, it walked up upon his heart (= it occurred in the core of his being) to visit and look upon (or: see for himself and inspect) his brothers (= his fellows; his countrymen) – the sons (= the people) of Israel.
24 "Then, upon seeing someone [D, E add: of his kinsmen (or: fellow tribesmen)] being repeatedly injured and treated wrongly (unjustly; unfairly), he at once defended [him] and took revenge for the person being abused (worn down by exhaustive labor and knavish treatment), striking a fatal blow on the Egyptian [D* adds: and hid him in the sand].
25 "Now he had been assuming from what was customary [that] the brothers (= his people) would then be grasping that God was presently giving deliverance to them through his hand [note: e.g., in his striking the Egyptian] – but they did not put that together so as to comprehend [this].
26 "And so, on the following day, he was seen by them as [some] men continued fighting [D* adds: and he saw them behaving unfairly and bringing injury], and thus he began attempting to negotiate with them a change into peace, saying, 'Men! You are brothers (= fellow countrymen)! Why [is it] that you continue injuring one another and behaving unfairly (or: unjustly)?'
27 "But the one presently hurting (and: treating unfairly) the associate (or: neighbor) pushed him away, saying, 'Who established you (set you down) [as the] ruler and judge (or: arbitrator) upon us?
28 "'You... you are not presently desiring or intending to lift me up (= kill me) in the same manner as you lifted up (= killed) the Egyptian, yesterday – are you?' [Ex. 2:14]
29 "Now in [view and consideration of] this expressed thought (word; verbal expression), Moses fled and came to be an alien resident (a sojourner) within [the] land of Midian, where he generated (effected the birth of) two sons.
30 "And then – with forty years having been filled full (or: fulfilled) – within the midst of the desolate place (the wilderness; the desert) of Mount Sinai, an agent (or: messenger; [D & others add: of the Lord]) – in union with [the] flame of a fire in a bramble (or: thornbush) – was seen by him.
31 "So Moses, upon seeing [it], was shocked and filled with wonder, marveling at the sight (or: vision; or: the result and effect of what was seen). Now during his progressive approaching to take note and focus his mind down [on it], a Voice of [the] Lord was birthed (or: a sound of [Yahweh] occurred, or, came to be; [D reads: the Lord {= Yahweh} spoke to him, saying]),
32 "'I Myself [am] the God of your fathers (= ancestors): the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' So Moses, coming to be in a tremble was not continuing to have courage to be focusing [his] mind or taking notice, or considering [what was happening]!
33 "And the Lord [= Yahweh] further said to him, 'At once loosen (or: untie) the sandals from your feet, for you see, the place upon which you stand is set-apart ground (sacred soil; consecrated earth; a holy land). [note: the priests were barefooted while serving in the Temple]
34 "'In seeing, I saw the bad treatment of (worthless conduct to; evil handling of) My People who are in Egypt. I also heard their groaning, and so at this time I stepped down to at once by Myself take them up from out of the midst (or: extricate them). Thus come here now; I can send you off with a mission (or: as an emissary) into Egypt.' [Ex. 3: 6-10]
35 "This Moses – whom they refused and disowned, saying, ' Who established you (set you down) [as the] ruler and judge (or: arbitrator) [some MSS add: upon us]?' [Ex. 2:14] This one God has sent off on a mission (or: as an emissary) [as] both a ruler (or: chief) and a redeemer (ransomer) – together with (= in association and co-operation with) [the] hand (= agency; help) of [the] agent (or: messenger) – the one being seen by him within the midst of the bramble (thornbush).
36 "This one led them forth from out of the midst after doing (or: performing) miracles (portents; wonders) and signs within the land of Egypt, and in the midst of [the] Red Sea, as well as in the wilderness (desolate place; desert) [for] forty years.
37 "This one is Moses, the one saying to the sons of Israel, 'God will proceed to be raising up for (or: to) you people a prophet from out of the midst of your brothers – like me! (or: will proceed appointing and setting up a prophet {one who has light ahead of time and speaks it before the people} like me from your people; [D, C & others add: You will continue hearing and listening to Him!]) ' [Deut. 18:15]
38 "This one is the man coming to be in the midst of the called-out community which was our fathers within the desert (which consisted of our ancestors in the desolate places of the wilderness) – along with the agent (or: messenger), the one continuing in speaking to him in Mount Sinai – he who received continuously living little Words (or: thoughts; ideas; verbal expressions; oracles) to give to you folks [other MSS: to us] (or: to grant for you people; to deliver among you; to bestow in you) –
39 "to whom our fathers were not willing to become obedient with submissive hearing, but to the contrary, they pushed [him] away and within their hearts they were turned around, into Egypt (or: to which [words] our ancestors were not wanting or intending to be birthed submissively obedient in hearing [them], but rather, they thrust [them] away – and thus they were turned back to Egypt, in the midst of their hearts),
40 "saying to Aaron, 'Make (Construct; Create; Produce; Form) at once for (or: to) us gods who will continue going their way before us, since this Moses who led us forth from out of the midst of Egypt – we have not seen, so we don't know, what has happened to him.' [Ex. 32:1, 23]
41 "And so they made (constructed; formed; created; produced) a calf in those days, and then they brought (or: led) up a sacrifice to the idol. Thus they were in a good frame of mind and began to enjoy themselves and celebrate, being made glad in the works of their hands.
42 "So God turned [away], and then handed them over to be habitually rendering sacred service, as hirelings, to the host (= sun, moon, stars; or: the band or company of the military force; the army) of the sky (or: atmosphere; heaven), just as it has been written in the scroll of the prophets, 'O house (= people) of Israel, it was not to or for Me [that] you people offered slaughtered victims and sacrifices [for] forty years, within the midst of the wilderness (desolate place; desert)!
43 "'Then you took up the tent (or: tabernacle; or: covering shadow) of Molock and the star (or: constellation) of your god [B, D and other witnesses read: the god] Raiphan (or: Rompha; Remphan; Reifan) – the models and beaten replicas which you made (formed; fabricated) ' to repeatedly (or: habitually) be worshiping and doing obeisance to them. 'Consequently I will proceed causing you to change houses (change your abode; = deport and exile you people) beyond' [D*: upon the district of] Babylon. [Amos 5:25-27]
44 "The Tent (tabernacle; covering shadow) of the Witness (evidence; testimony) was with (or: for; in the midst of) our fathers within the wilderness (desert) – just as the One then periodically speaking to Moses personally prescribed (thoroughly arranged and set in order) [for him] to make (or: construct) it: according (and: corresponding) to the model (replica; pattern; type) which he had seen,
45 "which, later on, our forefathers (or: ancestors), receiving [it] in succession with Joshua, led (or: brought) in within the possession of the ethnic multitudes (or: nations; = the peoples of Canaan) whom God drove out (expelled; thrust forth) from the face (= presence) of our fathers, until the days of David
46 "– who found grace and favor in the sight of (or: before) God, and so he asked to find a camping site (a tenting place; the results and effects of pitching a tabernacle; = a place for a habitation with covering shade) for the God [p74, B, D and other MSS read: in the house] of Jacob.
47 "However, Solomon built (constructed) a house for Him.
48 "Nevertheless, the Most High is not continuously settling down to perpetually dwell in houses made by hands – just as the prophet continues saying,
49 'The heaven (or: sky; atmosphere) [is] a throne for (or: to) Me, and the earth (or: land) [is] a footstool for My feet. What kind (or: sort) of house will you folks proceed constructing for Me,' [the] Lord [= Yahweh] continues saying, 'or what is [the] place of My stopping down to rest?
50 "'Did not My hand make all these things? (or: My hand forms and constructs all these, does it not?) ' [Isa. 66:1-2]
51 "'Stiff-necked (= Obstinate and proud) men' and 'people uncircumcised in hearts and ears!' [Ex. 32:9; Lev. 26:41] You yourselves are ever repeatedly falling in opposition against (or: are always by habit resisting and clashing with) the Set-apart Breath-effect (or: the Holy Spirit; Sacred Attitude)! – as your fathers (or: ancestors), so also you folks!
52 "Which one of the prophets (those who had light ahead of time and spoke before the people) did your fathers [D* reads: those men] not persecute and pursue? And they killed off those predicting concerning (or: bringing down the announcement in advance about) the coming of the Just One (the Fair, Equitable, Right One that is in rightwised relationships that accord with the Way pointed out) – of Whom you yourselves became betrayers (or: traitors) and murderers:
53 "the very ones who received and took in hand the Law – [leading] into [situations] thoroughly arranged and fully set in order by [His] agents and messengers – and yet you people did not observe it, maintain it, keep it or guard it!"