Di Bush Wey No Burn Finish

For one mountainside, one bush dey burn. Fire dey dance pass every branch. But di leaves no dey curl. Di branches no dey turn black. Di fire continue to burn, and di bush no dey burn finish. And from inside di fire, one voice call name. Moses. Moses.

Moses don dey Midian for many years. Before, e be prince of Egypt. Then e kill one Egyptian and run for im life. Now e be shepherd, e dey take care of im father-in-law Jethro flock. One day e lead di sheep go far across di wilderness, e reach Horeb, wey dem dey call di mountain of God. For there, di angel of di Lord appear to am for flame of fire from di middle of one bush. Moses think for im mind, I must go near go look dis strange thing. Why di bush no dey burn finish?

When God see say e turn come look, e call am from di bush. Moses! Moses! I dey here. No come near pass dat place. Remove your sandals, because di place wey you stand na holy ground. I be di God of your papa, di God of Abraham, di God of Isaac and di God of Jacob. And Moses cover im face, because e fear to look God. Then God talk, I don see how my people dey suffer for Egypt. I don hear dem as dem dey cry out. I know their pain. And I don come down to rescue dem, and to bring dem enter one good and wide land. So now, go. I dey send you go meet Pharaoh, to bring my people comot from Egypt.

Moses get one question. Who I be, wey I go go meet Pharaoh? And God no tell am who e be. God tell am who go dey with am. I go dey with you. Moses ask again. When I tell di Israelites say di God of their fathers don send me, and dem ask me, Wetin be im name, wetin I go talk? And God answer with words wey people don dey think about since dat day.

I BE WHO I BE. Tell di people of Israel dis one: I BE don send me come meet una. Dis na my name forever.

But Moses still no sure. Wetin if dem no believe me? So God give am signs. Wetin dey your hand? Stick. Throw am for ground. Moses throw am down, e turn snake, and Moses run from am. Now stretch your hand hold am for im tail. E do am, and e turn stick again. God give am two more signs: im hand turn white with skin disease and e heal again, and water from di Nile go turn blood when dem pour am for ground. Still Moses dey hold back. Lord, I no sabi talk well at all. My mouth dey slow. Who make your mouth? No be me, di Lord? Now go. I go dey with your mouth and teach you wetin to talk. And Moses talk, Abeg, Lord, send another person.

God vex with Moses. But even now, e make way. Your brother Aaron nko? E sabi talk well. E don already dey come meet you. You go tell am wetin to talk, and e go talk for you. And take dis stick for your hand. So Moses go. E say goodbye to Jethro and set out go Egypt with im wife and sons, e carry di stick of God. Aaron meet am for wilderness, and dem hug. For Egypt, dem gather di elders of Israel. Aaron talk, Moses show di signs, and di people believe. When dem hear say God don see their suffering, dem bow down and worship.

Di name wey God give here connect with di Hebrew word wey mean to be, and dem dey call di four Hebrew letters of God name, Y H W H, di Tetragrammaton. Because of deep respect, Jewish tradition for many centuries no dey call dat name out loud; instead, dem dey read Adonai, wey mean my Lord. Na why many English Bibles dey print di word Lord for small capital letters anywhere wey di Hebrew get God personal name.

Di burning bush. You go find am for Exodus chapter three and four. Moses ask, Who I be? And God answer, I go dey with you. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin God dey ask you to do wey be like say e too big, and you go trust say e go go with you?