~ Moses Talks with the God on Mount Horeb ~

Now Moses was tending the flock
of Jethro his father-in-law,
the priest of Midian,
and he led the flock to the far side of the desert
and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him
in flames of fire from within a bush.
Moses saw that though the bush was on fire
it did not burn up.
So Moses thought,
"I will go over and see this strange sight --
why the bush does not burn up."

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look,
God called to him from within the bush,
"Moses!  Moses!"

And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said.
"Take off your sandals,
for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
Then He said,
"I am the God of your father,
the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob."
At this, Moses hid his face,
because he was afraid to look at God.

. . . But Moses said to God,
"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh
and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

And God said, "I will be with you.
And this will be the sign to you
that it is I who have sent you:
When you have brought the people out of Egypt,
you will worship God on this mountain."

(Exodus 3:1-6, 11-12)