Moses:
When Jacob left Canaan he came to Egypt with seventy souls and fathered a great people that has suffered and been oppressed. Till this day we have been ill-treated (5) by evil men and a powerful regime. For King Pharaoh, when he saw our people increasing in number, devised many plans against us. He afflicted us with brickwork and the hard labor of construction (10) and he had turreted cities built by our ill-fated men. Then he ordered that the Hebrew male children be cast into the deep-flowing river. My mother hid me for three months (so she has told me). But when she could no longer escape detection, (15) she dressed me and exposed me by the bank of the river in the thick and overgrown marsh. My sister Mariam stood guard nearby. Then the princess with her maidservants came down to bathe. (20) When she saw me, she took me up and recognized that I was a Hebrew. My sister Mariam then ran up to her and spoke, 'Shall I get a nursemaid for this child
from the Hebrews?' The princess urged her on. (25) Mariam went to fetch our mother who presently appeared and took me in her arms. The princess said to her, 'Woman, nurse this child and I shall pay your wages.' She then named me Moses, because (30) she had taken me from the watery river-bank.
* * *
When my infancy had passed, my mother brought me to the princess' palace, after telling me all about my lineage and God's gifts. (35) Accordingly, for the period of my youth, the princess gave me a royal upbringing and education, as if I were her own son.
But when I grew into an adult, I went forth from the royal palace (40) at my spirit's urging, to see the deeds and devices wrought by the king. First, I saw two men fighting, one a Hebrew, the other an Egyptian. I saw that we were alone, no one else was present. So I rescued my kinsman and slew the other. (45) Then I buried him in the sand so that no one else should notice and disclose the killing. On the morrow I again saw two men fighting, this time men of the same race. I addressed one, 'Why are you striking a weaker man?' (50) He answered, 'Who made you our judge and overseer? Or are you going to kill me, as you killed the man yesterday?' In fear I thought, 'How has this become known?' The news quickly reached the king (55) and he sought to take my life. When I heard this I left the country and have now in my wandering come to this foreign land.
* * *
Here are seven maidens coming.
* * *
Sepphora:
Stranger, this land is called Libya. (60) It is inhabited by tribes of various peoples, Ethiopians, black men. One man is the ruler of the land: he is both king and general. He rules the state, judges the people, and is priest. This man is my father and theirs. (65)
* * *
Chum:
Sepphora, you must reveal this.
Sepphora:
My father has given me as spouse to this stranger.
* * *
Moses:
I had a vision of a great throne on the top of Mount Sinai and it reached till the folds of heaven. A noble man was sitting on it, (70) with a crown and a large scepter in his left hand. He beckoned to me with his right hand, so I approached and stood before the throne. He gave me the scepter and instructed me to sit on the great throne. Then he gave me the royal crown (75)
and got up from the throne. I beheld the whole earth all around and saw beneath the earth and above the heavens. A multitude of stars fell before my knees and I counted them all. (80) They paraded past me like a battalion of men. Then I awoke from my sleep in fear.
* * *
Raguel:
My friend, this is a good sign from God. May I live to see the day when these things are fulfilled. You will establish a great throne, (85) become a judge and leader of men. As for your vision of the whole earth, the world below and that above the heavens-this signifies that you will see what is, what has been and what shall be.
* * *
Moses:
Ah, what is this portent from the bush, (90) miraculous and hard for a man to believe? The bush has suddenly burst into furious flame, yet all its foliage stays green and fresh. What is going on? I shall approach and examine this great miracle. For it is hard to believe. (95)
God:
Halt, great sir. Moses, do not come near, until you have removed your shoes from your feet. For the ground on which you are standing is holy. The voice of God rings out to you from the bush. Have courage, my child, and hear my words- (100)
for that you, a mortal, should see my face is impossible. But you may hear those words of mine
that I have come to speak to you.
I am the God of your 'patriarchs' (as you call them), Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. (105) I have called them to mind, them and my gifts, and so I have come to save my people, the Hebrews. For I have seen my servants' suffering and distress.
Now go, and report in my words to all the Hebrews and (110) then to the king my instructions to you, that you lead my people from the land.
Moses:
I am not articulate. My tongue is neither skilled at speech nor fluent. I cannot address the king. (115)
God:
I shall soon send your brother Aaron and you will tell him everything I have spoken. He will speak before the king. You shall converse with me, Aaron will receive my instructions from you.
* * *
God:
 What is that in your hands? Speak quickly. (120)
Moses:
A rod wherewith to chastise beasts and men.
God:
Throw it on the ground and withdraw quickly. For it shall turn into a fearsome snake and you will marvel at it.
Moses:
There, I have thrown it down. Oh Master, be merciful. How dreadful, how monstrous. Have pity on me. (125) I shudder at the sight, my limbs tremble.
God:
Have no fear. Reach out your hand and seize its tail. It shall turn back into a rod. Now put your hand into your bosom and withdraw it.
Moses:
There, I've done it. It's become like snow. (130)
God:
Put it back into your bosom and it shall be as it was before.
* * *
God:
With this rod you shall work all kinds of plagues. First, the river, all the springs and pools will flow blood. I shall bring a multitude of frogs and lice upon the land. (135) Thereafter, I will sprinkle on them ashes from a furnace and fierce sores will erupt on their bodies. Flies will come and torment many of the Egyptians. Afterwards there will come in its turn a pestilence and all who possess hard hearts will die. (140) Then I will make the heavens violent: hail mixed with fire will descend and lay men dead. Crops and animals will be destroyed. I will bring darkness for three whole days and will send locusts which will destroy (145) all the remaining crops and the young shoots. And after all this I shall slay the firstborn children. Thus, I shall bring to an end the arrogance of this evil people. King Pharaoh shall suffer none of the plagues I have described,
until he sees his firstborn son a corpse. (150) Then in fear he will quickly send forth the people.

Further, you will speak the following to the whole Hebrew people: 'This month is for you the beginning of your years.
In this month I shall bring the people into another land, as I promised the patriarchs of the Hebrew race.' (155) Tell the whole people that they should sacrifice the Pesach (Passover lamb) to God this month on the day of the full moon, before nightfall, and should daub the door with the blood, so that my dread messenger will pass them by. During the night you shall eat the roasted meat. (160) Then the king will drive the whole people out in haste. But when you are about to leave, I will make the Egyptians well disposed to you and each of your women will receive from her neighbor vessels and raiment of all kinds,
gold, silver and garments, so that (165) the Egyptians shall render payment for all the work the Jews have done. When you reach your own land, since you will have had a journey of seven days from that morning on which you left Egypt, (170) you shall eat unleavened bread, and you shall worship God, sacrificing to Him the firstborn male animals, the offspring that the young mothers first bear and that open first their mothers' wombs.
* * *
On the tenth day of this month let the Hebrew men take (175) for their families unblemished lambs or calves and keep them until the fourteenth day. Then at evening you shall make the sacrifice and eat it all, including the innards, roasted. In this fashion you should eat it, all girded up. (180) with your shoes on your feet and your walking sticks in your hands. For the king will order that you be banished from the land in haste. But every man shall be summoned. And after you have sacrificed.
take a handful of hyssop, (185) dip it in the blood and touch it to the two doorposts, so that death will pass the Hebrews by.
This festival you shall keep for the Lord, seven days of unleavened bread. No leaven shall be eaten. For you shall receive release from these evils (190) and God grants you this month departure from Egypt. This month is the beginning of months and eras.
* * *
Egyptian Messenger:
For when king Pharaoh went forth with this multitude of men from his palace, with armed soldiers, all his cavalry, four-horsed chariots, (195) soldiers on the flank and soldiers in the front ranks, there was an awesome host of men drawn up in battle formation. There were infantry in the middle and phalangists, but space was left for the chariots to pass through. On the left the horsemen were stationed, (200) on the right were other Egyptians. I inquired as to the total number of the army: it came to one million men.
When my army overtook the Hebrews, they were lying in groups by (205) the shore of the Red Sea. The men, worn out, were giving food to their children and wives. Flocks and household utensils were all around. They themselves were all unarmed (210) and on seeing us cried out tearfully toward the heaven and their ancestral God. There was great turmoil among the men.
We in contrast were delighted. We pitched our camp opposite them- (215) the place is called Beelzephon. Since the sun was on the verge of setting, we waited, desiring a morning battle: we were confident in our numbers and our fearsome weapons.
Then, divine wonders and portents began (220) to occur. A large pillar, looking like a cloud, suddenly appeared and took up a position between our camp and that of the Hebrews.
Then their leader Moses took the staff of God with which he had previously wrought the (225) prodigies and plagues against Egypt and striking the surface of the Red Sea he split it in two. All of them rushed energetically and swiftly through the sea's pathway. We entered the path quickly, (230) on their track. We hastened forward, but encountered night. Suddenly, the wheels of the chariots would not turn, as if they were bound fast. From the heavens came a great flash, as if of a fire. It seemed that (235) God was helping them. When they had reached the other side, a large wave surged around us. One man, on seeing this, cried out: 'Let us run back home and flee the power of the Supreme One. For He is helping them, but is wreaking  (240) our destruction.' Then the path was washed away and the army perished.
* * *
Scout:
Great Moses, take note of the place we have discovered, by that airy valley. It is over there, as, I think, you can see. (245) From there a light flashed out at night, some sort of sign, a pillar of fire. There we discovered a shady meadow and springs of water. The spot is lush and abundant. Twelve springs issue forth from one rock, (250) there are many strong and fruitful palm trees, seventy in all. And there is grassland with water round about, forage for our animals.
* * *
We saw something else too, a strange and remarkable creature, such as no man has ever seen before. (255) He was about twice the size of an eagle and had multi-colored wings. His breast was purplish and his legs red. From his neck saffron tresses hung beautifully. (260) His head was like that of a cock. He gazed all around with his yellow eye which looked like a seed. He had the most wonderful voice. Indeed, it seemed that he was the king of all the birds. (265) For all of them followed behind him in fear. He strode in front, like an exultant bull, lifting his foot in swift step.

1. Ezekiel the tragedian is a writer of major importance. The fragments of his Exagoge represent the most extensive remains of any Hellenistic tragedy - or indeed tragedian. Consequently. Ezekiel is our most significant source of evidence for Hellenistic tragedy, though it is not possible to determine whether the Exagoge is representative of Hellenistic tragedy or in what particular ways it may be. Further for the student of Jewish literary history and thought Ezekiel is on e of our most important sources for the hellenistic period in the diaspora and may even be of importance for students of the New Testament and early Christianity. The Exagoge is the solitary surviving example of Jewish drama in Greek and the largest extant example of ancient Greco-Jewish poetry.
Are we justified in thinking that the Jews of Alexandria, seeing on stage the events of the Exodus of centuries before, would have responded and reacted to them in a substantially and qualitatively different manner from that of fifth-century Greeks viewing episodes about Greek heroes and peoples from eras gone by?...At all events, the Exagoge is a non-Greek national play,...a drama about the Jewish people and as such it does not have a 'tragic hero' in the familiar sense.
4. Ezekiel's audience, purpose and religious position
For what kind of audience and with what purpose(s) was the Exagoge written? Scholars have divided on the former question, some believing Ezekiel wrote for a non-Jewish audience, some for a Jewish audience, and others for both. For the non-Jews the play would have been intended as educational and propagandistic, to teach the Greeks something about Jewish history and to impress upon them the greatness and special qualities of the Jews' heroic leader and the people themselves. For the Jews it was a reminder of their noble history and perhaps an attempt to draw them away from contemporary pagan influences. For the less well educated among the Jews it may have served an educational function. For cultivated Jews and pagans alike it would have provided evidence that Jewish history and tradition could be comfortably and successfully accommodated to the ancient art forms of the Greek world. I myself argue that there are clear indications within the text itself that Ezekiel was considering an audience of both Jews and pagans. There is present an element of polemic against anti-Semitic Exodus traditions. Further, Ezekiel leaves out material from the Biblical narrative that would be offensive to non-Jews or that would put the Jews in a bad light before them. On the other hand, he occasionally introduces adaptations of the Biblical account that seem to exploit and take for granted a Jewish acquaintance with post-biblical material.

The question of Ezekiel's religious position is a difficult one and may be divided into several aspects: first, the matter of devotion and faithfulness to the Biblical text; second, the presentation of sacred history in the pagan context of the theater and (specifically for the Exagoge) the bringing on stage of God (or at least God's voice). Unfortunately it seems nearly impossible to get an unambiguous set of criteria by which to evaluate any of these aspects. To begin with the first question: one would at the least expect to be able to determine whether Ezekiel is faithful to the biblical text. (Scholars make comparisons and contrasts between Ezekiel's use of his biblical source and the Greek tragedians' use of their epic heroic material, either believing Ezekiel freely adapted from his source or preserved its sanctity by failing to make free use of material.) That Ezekiel does not literally follow the narrative of the Bible, that the 'inviolate' authority of the narrative in this sense did not exist for him, there can be no question.

Ezekiel's use of the pagan theatrical context for presentation of sacred history also raises questions. [It has been argued] that the practice of Alexandrian Jews to attend the theater is a part of the Alexandrian Jewish community's non-orthodoxy...We may be justified in querying whether in fact for the observant Alexandrian Jewish community attendance at a theater was considered sacrilegious. I know no evidence for this. [Although later rabbinic traditions are very hostile to Jewish attendance in the theater, because of pagan, especially idol-worshiping connotations, this taboo is not so clear for the period when Ezekiel was most likely writing in the late second century BC in Alexandria, Egypt] In sum, one wonders whether attendance at the theatre-especially in Alexandria-would have been felt as a religious trespass.

Finally [is] the representation of God on stage in the scene of the burning bush itself a deviation from orthodoxy on Ezekiel's part[?] Ezekiel deliberately avoids bringing God on stage for theologic-religious reasons and all one hears is a voice. One might, of course, consider even the representation of God's voiced in a theatrical performance sacrilegious but again the lack of evidence for the period and the Alexandrian-Jewish milieu leaves us uncertain. In addition,...the phenomenon of a human being speaking the words of God in the first person had a routine place in Jewish liturgy and public Bible-reading. In sum, Ezekiel's introduction of God here may have been offensive to some, but we cannot be certain.

6. The Exagoge and 5th-century tragedy
This play is, both in small points of phraseology and style and in the larger realm of dramatic technique and structure, much influenced by Euripides. This is only natural since of the 5th century tragedians Euripides was easily the most popular in the Hellenistic age... [but Ezekiel was somewhat influenced by Sophocles and to a greater degree by Aeschylus].

Throughout I shall point to possible instances of Ezekiel's use of or familiarity with the plays of Aeschylus, with particular emphasis on his use of the Persians in the messenger scene. Ezekiel knew well and was greatly influenced by Aeschylus. In the story told in Aeschylus' Persians he saw the Hellenic counterpart to the Jews' victory over the Egyptians. In each case the small, seemingly helpless people overcomes the awesome and hybristic enemy with divine aid. For each victorious people the event in a sense marks its birth as a nation.

7. The Dramatic Structure of the Exagoge
The 269 surviving lines of the Exagoge are surely but a small fraction of the entire play. Scholars have struggled to learn about the structure and movement of the play as a whole from the extant fragments. It is generally believed that the play did consist of five acts: (1) Moses' monologue and his meeting with the daughters of Raguel; (2) Moses' dream and its interpretation by Raguel; (3) the burning bush and God's appearance to Moses; (4) the messenger speech recounting the crossing of the Red Sea; (5) the scouting report on the oasis at Elim and the Phoenix... While it is agreed that the first 89 lines belong to the opening 2 acts, scholars dispute whether there is a change of location from the first act to the second and  whether the 2 acts are temporally continuous or broken by some gap in time... The third act (the burning bush) presumably takes place some time later... It would seem all but certain that a change of location is demanded...The fourth act is represented by the messenger's speech. There can be no doubt that the setting has changed. The play extends over a lengthy span of time, from the flight of Moses from Egypt through the Exodus itself to the arrival of the Jews in the desert of Elim. It is beyond dispute that there are at least 3 different locales in the play (near Midian, in Egypt, near Elim), probably 4 (Mt. Sinai/Horeb), and possibly 5 (Raguel's home). So much then for the 'Aristotelian' unities of time and place. To be sure as Aristotle might have put it, Ezekiel was trying to turn the epic that is Exodus into a drama, a difficult and perhaps inadvisable venture. No ancient tragedy covers so long a period of time as the Exagoge. Ezekiel extends the action of the play over a long period in which there are distinct intervals at various points of the drama... at various points the play itself calls attention to the passage of time: the plague of darkness will occupy three days, the Passover preparations and sacrifice occupy 5 days and the Egyptians, in their pursuit of the Jews, encamp overnight. There was also much 'empty' time, as is common in contemporary drama, points in the play at which one merely posits a lapse of time (as our playbills will note, 'one week later.'). Thus defending Ezekiel by observing that he had precedents for violating the unity of time in 5th century tragedy really misses the point.

It is similarly true that discovering instances of shifts of scene will not explain (or explain away) Ezekiel's procedure... It seems this play was divided into five parts, each of which had a different setting from the immediately preceding one... How were these changes in the Exagoge executed? We know too little of ancient theater production to be sure. Conceivably the decisive factor in each scene could simply have been the express designation by a character of the (new) place.

Was there a chorus in the Exagoge? There is no solid evidence. Was there a chorus in Hellenistic tragedy and if so what was its function and role? Evidence from Rome may not be irrelevant for Greek Hellenistic tragedy. Early Roman tragedy used a chorus, as did later imperial tragedy. Thus it is safe to say that there are no historical grounds for denying Ezekiel the use of a chorus. There is evidence for the familiarity of Egyptian Jews with choruses. Who would the chorus have been? The obvious choice is Raguel's daughters. Whatever we think of the possible role of these maidens in the scenes at the bush and near Elim, there is scarcely any way to place them relevantly in 'Act 4,' which takes place in the palace in Egypt. If the setting of the Egyptian court was used for a number of scenes, including confrontations between Moses and Pharaoh, the chorus could well have been the Egyptian wizards who appear often from Exodus chapter 7 on, in a series of episodes in which their ability to withstand God if progressively diminished. Ezekiel could have used the messenger scene as the ultimate in their decline, perhaps incorporating professions on their part of the total victory of God and the Jews. Since this scene was in all probability modeled on Aeschylus' Persians, the presence of a group of distinguished and authority bearing men who act as aides and counselors to the throne would well parallel the setting of the corresponding scene in Persians. [Also suggested that chorus at court may have been weeping Egyptian women/mothers]

Jacobson's suggestion of the plot summary:
The play opens with Moses alone on stage. There is evidently a well nearby. Moses makes his opening speech. The 7 daughters of Raguel enter and a conversation ensues in which they and the location are identified. Some shepherds appear and seek to drive the maidens away from the well, but Moses comes to their rescue. Exactly what happened then we cannot determine. The biblical narrative would suggest that Moses returns with Raguel's daughters to their home. Some time passes and Raguel decides to marry Sepphora to Moses. Chum appears and apparently protests; Raguel was evidently not present, but Moses was, though perhaps at some distance from Chum and Sepphora. This may have been followed by a scene in which Moses defended himself by pointing out the kinship between Raguel's family and himself. This would have been followed by the dialogue between Moses and Raguel concerning his dream.

The setting changes and Moses appears alone on stage. He is evidently tending sheep as in Exodus. He sees the burning bush and God speaks to him. The dialogue continued at some length, passing through the signs God performs for moses to the account of the plagues and the Passover regulations. Line 174 is the last extant line from this scene. Shortly thereafter Ezekiel probably brought Aaron on stage to meet and speak with Moses, in the very setting as depicted in Exodus. Moses would have told him briefly of his mission.

The setting changes to Egypt. Ezekiel presented a scene in which Moses (and Aaron?) confers with the elders of the people and verses 175-192 are part of it. Our next fragment is the survivor's report at 193ff. Clearly, much must have taken place between these two episodes: the appearance of Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, followed by the survivor's monologue?, the queen and attendants lamenting the results of the plagues before the messenger arrives? Pharaoh then learns of his son's death and releases the Jews. But he changes his mind and leaves to pursue them. Then follows the survivor's speech.

What seems to be undeniable is that Ezekiel must have presented a scene in which Moses directly confronts Pharaoh. Everything calls for this, logically and dramatically, not to mention the demands of the biblical narrative. Further if verses 109ff are an anticipation of the later scene in which Moses meets with the elders of the people, then 111f can readily be taken as anticipatin what immediately follows, the meeting with Pharaoh. Thus after Moses and Aaron speak with the elders, we can assume that they were presented going to see Pharaoh. Instead of the repeated confrontations of Exodus which would have necessitated multiple exits and entrances, Ezekiel must have compressed it all into one scene. Moses asks Pharaoh to free the people; he refuses. Moses performs a few signs which perhaps the wizards duplicate. Moses then calls down upon Egypt the plagues, whether one at a time or in groups. Perhaps they are each described by Moses or Aaron, perhaps by Pharaoh, the wizards or someone else. The scene probably followed a pattern: invocation by Moses (Aaron), description of the plague, reaction of the Egyptians present,ultimate refusal by Pharaoh to yield. The rapid-fire introduction of the plagues one after another would be compatible with the description at 133ff. At the death of the firstborn Pharaoh gives in and Moses and Aaron depart. Some conversation ensues between Pharaoh and his attendants and the decision is made to pursue. Pharaoh leaves. Those remaining continue to speak and shortly thereafter the messenger enters with his tale of woe.

The setting again changes. We are in the desert on the other side of the Red Sea. It is impossible to tell what Ezekiel may have presented. He could have shown the Jews rejoicing over their salvation, perhaps with something like the biblical Song of the Sea. All we can safely guess is that Moses was probably portrayed sending out scouts to investigate the area and shortly thereafter they return with their reports of 243-269. The play probably ends at the oasis at Elim.