出埃及記 4

1 梅瑟回答說：「他們必然不肯相信我，也不肯聽我的話，而對我說：上主沒有顯示給你。」

Then Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”

2 上主問他說：「你手裏拿的是什麼﹖」他回答說：「一根棍杖。」

And the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.

3 上主說：「將棍杖扔在地上! 」他便將棍杖扔在地上，棍杖即刻變成了一條蛇；梅瑟一見，就逃避了。

“Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

4 上主向梅瑟說：「伸手捉著蛇的尾巴! ─他便伸手捉住，那條蛇在他手裏又變成一根棍杖。─

“Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail,” the LORD said to Moses, who reached out his hand and caught the snake, and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

5 好叫他們相信上主，他們主先的天主，亞巴郎的天主，依撒格的天主和雅各伯的天主曾顯示給你。」

“This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

6 上主又對他說：「將你的手插在懷裏! 」他就將手插在懷裏；及至抽出手來，見手上患了癩瘡，向雪那樣白。

Furthermore, the LORD said to Moses, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, white as snow.

7 天主又說：「將你的手再插進懷裏! ─他就把手再插進懷裏；及至從懷裏抽出時，見手已經恢復原狀，像別的肌肉一樣。─

“Put your hand back inside your cloak,” said the LORD. So Moses put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his skin.

8 如果他們不肯信你，也不信服第一個奇蹟，必定信服第二個奇蹟。

And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second.

9 如果連這兩個奇蹟也不信，也不聽你的話，你就從尼羅河裏取些水，倒在旱地上；你從河裏取的水必在旱地上變成血。」

But if they do not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

10 梅瑟對上主說：「吾主，請原諒! 我不是個有口才的人，以前不是，你向你的僕人說話以後，也不是；我原是笨口結舌的人。」

“Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 上主回答他說：「是誰給人一個嘴﹖是誰給人口啞耳聾，眼明眼瞎呢﹖不是我上主嗎﹖

And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

12 現在你去，我要幫助你說話，指教你該說什麼。」

Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”

13 梅瑟回答說：「吾主，請原諒! 你要打發誰，就打發誰去吧! 」

But Moses replied, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”

14 上主向梅瑟發怒說：「不是有你的哥哥肋末人亞郎嗎﹖我知道他是有口才的，他現在正前來迎接你；他見了你，心中必要快樂。

Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

15 你可向他說話，將你應該說的話放在他口中。我要幫助你，也幫助他說話，指教你們應做什麼。

You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do.

16 他要代替你向百姓說話，作你的口舌；你對他是代替天主。

He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to him.

17 你手中要拿著這根棍杖，用來行奇蹟。」梅瑟回埃及

But take this staff in your hand so you can perform signs with it.”

18 於是梅瑟起來回到他岳父耶特洛那裏，對他說：「請讓我回到埃及我兄弟那裏，看看他們還健在嗎﹖」耶特洛對梅瑟說：「你平安去罷! 」

Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.

19 上主在米德揚對梅瑟說：「起身回埃及去! 因為那些想殺害你的人都死了。」

Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead.”

20 梅瑟遂帶著妻子孩子，叫他們騎在驢上，起身回埃及國去了；梅瑟手中拿著天主的棍杖。

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

21 上主對梅瑟說：「你回到埃及，要將我交於你行的一切奇蹟，行於法朗面前；但我要使他心硬，不肯放百姓走。

The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

22 你要對法朗說：上主這樣說：以色列是我的長子。

Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,

23 我命你，讓我的兒子去崇拜我。你若拒絕放他們走，我必要殺你的長子。」

and I told you to let My son go so that he may worship Me. But since you have refused to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son!’”

24 梅瑟在路上住宿的時候，上主遇著他，要想殺他。

Now at a lodging place along the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.

25 漆頗辣急忙拿了一塊石刀，將他兒子的包皮割下，拿包皮接觸他的腳說：「你真是我的血郎。」

But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.

26 這樣上主就放了他。當時漆頗辣說：「血郎。」是因了割損的原故。

So the LORD let him alone. (When she said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.)

27 其時上主向亞郎說：「你往曠野去迎接梅瑟! 」他就去了。在天主的山旁預見了梅瑟，口親了他。

Meanwhile, the LORD had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.

28 梅瑟把上主打發他所說的一切話和命他行的奇蹟，都告訴了亞郎。

And Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and all the signs He had commanded him to perform.

29 梅瑟和亞郎遂去召集了以色列子民所有的長老

Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites,

30 亞郎講述了上主向梅瑟所說的一切話，也當著百姓行了那些奇蹟；

and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the people,

31 百姓就都信了，也都高興，因為上主眷顧了以色列子民，也垂念了他們的痛苦。他們遂都俯伏叩拜。

and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.