Exode 3

¹ Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

² Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.

³ So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”
“Here I am,” he answered.

⁵ “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

⁶ Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Note · Exode 3.1–6

Une proximité qui demande de l’attention

Moïse s’arrête devant ce qu’il ne comprend pas et reçoit un appel par son nom. Le sol est déclaré saint avant qu’un sanctuaire y soit construit. La présence divine donne sa portée au lieu ; les gestes de respect reconnaissent qu’on ne rencontre pas Dieu comme une réalité ordinaire à utiliser.

⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings,

⁸ and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey — the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

⁹ So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them,

¹⁰ therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”

Note · Exode 3.7–12

La délivrance passe par un envoyé hésitant

Dieu décrit la détresse et la sortie espérée, puis envoie Moïse. La question de son identité reçoit une promesse d’accompagnement. Le signe annoncé concerne ce qui viendra après la sortie : Moïse n’est pas placé dans une situation où toutes les preuves seraient déjà disponibles avant de partir.

¹³ Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?”

¹⁴ God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: The Lord, the 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; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

Note · Exode 3.13–15

Un nom qui résiste à une définition simple

La formulation du nom divin reçoit plusieurs traductions et interprétations, liées notamment à l’être et à la présence. Une seule explication française ne suffit pas à en épuiser la portée. Le passage rattache en même temps ce Dieu à une histoire précise : celle d’Abraham, d’Isaac et de Jacob.

¹⁶ “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me and said: I have paid close attention to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt.

¹⁷ And I have promised you that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites — a land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁸ They will listen to what you say. Then you, along with the elders of Israel, must go to the king of Egypt and say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

¹⁹ “However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, even under force from a strong hand.

²⁰ But when I stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my miracles that I will perform in it, after that, he will let you go.

²¹ And I will give these people such favor with the Egyptians that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.

²² Each woman will ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry, and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Note · Exode 3.16–22

Une mission collective dans un conflit annoncé

Moïse doit parler aux anciens, puis au roi avec eux. Le refus de Pharaon est annoncé ; l’appel n’est donc pas la promesse d’une négociation aisée. Les biens demandés aux Égyptiens accompagnent une sortie de servitude, sans constituer une permission générale de prendre les ressources d’autrui au nom de la religion.