Exodus 1-6

Exodus 1 - Joseph dies.  Israel multiplies.  Egypt enslaves them and seeks to reduce them by killing every baby boy.  They resist and God blesses them.

2 – Moses is born and hidden.  Pharaoh’s daughter finds him, and Miriam shrewdly offers to get an Israelite wet nurse – his own mother!  But he grows up in Pharoah’s house.  He kills an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite and tries to hide it.  But when he tries to mediate between two Israelites, they reject him and say they know what he did.  He flees to Midian to avoid execution.  He protects and helps some shepherdesses at a well, and winds up marrying one of them: Jethro’s daughter.  God sees Israel’s suffering.

3 – God calls Moses in the burning bush to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let Israel go.  God reveals His name for the first time: Yahweh.  He predicts how it will go in Egypt.

4 – Moses doubts they’ll listen.  God gives him 2 miracle signs to prove it to Israel and Pharaoh.  Moses still begs off.  God insists and says Aaron will help.  Moses goes and on the way God seeks to kill him because he hasn’t circumcised his son.  His wife Zipporah does it, and God “passes over.”  Moses tells Israel’s leaders, and shows them the signs, and they believe and rejoice.

5 - Pharaoh refuses to let Israel go, accusing them of idleness.

6 - God promises deliverance, but Moses doubts it.