<P> Traditionally ascribed to Moses himself, modern scholarship sees the book as initially a product of the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE), based on earlier written and oral traditions, with final revisions in the Persian post-exilic period (5th century BCE). Carol Meyers in her commentary on Exodus suggests that it is arguably the most important book in the Bible, as it presents the defining features of Israel's identity: memories of a past marked by hardship and escape, a binding covenant with God, who chooses Israel, and the establishment of the life of the community and the guidelines for sustaining it . </P> <P> The English name Exodus comes from the Ancient Greek: ἔξοδος, éxodos, meaning "going out". In Hebrew the book is called שְׁמוֹת, shəmōṯ, "Names", from the beginning words of the text: "These are the names of the sons of Israel" (Hebrew: וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמֹות בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ‬). </P> <P> There is no unanimous agreement among scholars on the structure of Exodus . One strong possibility is that it is a diptych (i.e., divided into two parts), with the division between parts 1 and 2 at the crossing of the Red Sea or at the beginning of the theophany (appearance of God) in chapter 19 . On this plan, the first part tells of God's rescue of his people from Egypt and their journey under his care to Sinai (chapters 1--19) and the second tells of the covenant between them (chapters 20--40). </P> <P> Jacob's sons and their families join their brother, Joseph, in Egypt . Once there, the Israelites begin to grow in number . Egypt's Pharaoh, fearful that the Israelites could be a fifth column, forces the Israelites into slavery and orders that all newborn boys be thrown into the Nile . A Levite woman (identified elsewhere as Jochebed) saves her baby by setting him adrift on the river Nile in an ark of bulrushes . The Pharaoh's daughter finds the child, names him Moses, and brings him up as her own . But Moses is aware of his origins, and one day, when grown, he kills an Egyptian overseer who is beating a Hebrew slave and has to flee into Midian . There he marries Zipporah, the daughter of Midianite priest Jethro, and encounters God in a burning bush . Moses asks God for his name: God replies: "I AM that I AM ." God tells Moses to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews into Canaan, the land promised to Abraham . </P>

Who was the audience that first read the book of exodus