Exodus 4

1 Responding, Moses said, “They will not believe me, and they will not listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared to thee.

2 Therefore, he said to him, “What is that you hold in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.”

And the LORD said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And the Lord said, “Cast it down upon the ground.” He cast it down, and it was turned into a snake, so that Moses fled away.

And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said, “Reach out your hand, and take hold of its tail.” He reached out his hand and took hold, and it was turned into a staff.

And the LORD said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

5 “So may they believe,” he said, “that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

6 And the Lord said again, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, resembling snow.

And the LORD said furthermore to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 “Put your hand back,” he said, “into your bosom.” He put it back and brought it out again, and it was like the rest of his flesh.

And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and drew it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

8 “If they will not believe you,” he said, “and will not listen to the sermon of the first sign, then they will believe the word of the subsequent sign.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 But if they will not believe even these two signs, and they will not listen to your voice: take from the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and whatever you will have drawn from the river will be turned into blood.”

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

10 Moses said: “I beg you, O Lord, I was not eloquent yesterday or the day before. And from the time that you have spoken to your servant, I have a greater impediment and slowness of tongue.”

And Moses said to the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before, nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 The Lord said to him: “Who made the mouth of man? And who has formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Was it not I?

And the LORD said to him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

12 Go on, therefore, and I will be in your mouth. And I will teach you what you shall say.”

Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

13 But he said, “I beg you, O Lord, send whomever else you would send.”

And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 The Lord, being angry at Moses, said: “Aaron the Levite is your brother. I know that he is eloquent. Behold, he is going out to meet you, and seeing you, he will rejoice in heart.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth. And I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will reveal to you what you must do.

And thou shalt speak to him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

16 He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth. But you will be with him in those things that pertain to God.

And he shall speak for thee to the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

17 Also, take this staff into your hand; with it you will accomplish the signs.”

And thou shalt take this rod in thy hand, with which thou shalt perform signs.

18 Moses went forth, and he returned to Jethro, his father in law, and he said to him, “I shall go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to him, “Go in peace.”

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And so the Lord said to Moses in Midian: “Go, and return to Egypt. For all those who sought your life have died.”

And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead who sought thy life.

20 Therefore, Moses took his wife and his sons, and he placed them upon a donkey, and he returned into Egypt, carrying the staff of God in his hand.

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to him, as he was returning to Egypt: “See that you accomplish, in the sight of Pharaoh, all the wonders that I have placed in your hand. I will harden his heart, and he will not release the people.

And the LORD said to Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou perform all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

22 And you shall say to him: ‘Thus says the Lord: Israel is my firstborn son.

And thou shalt say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

23 I have said to you: Release my son, so that he may serve me. And you were not willing to release him. Behold, I will put to death your firstborn son.’”

And I say to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou shalt refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 And while he was on the journey, at an inn, the Lord met him, and he was willing to kill him.

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

25 For this reason, Zipporah took a very sharp stone, and she circumcised the foreskin of her son, and she touched his feet, and she said, “You are a bloody spouse to me.”

Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

26 And he released him, after she had said, “You are a bloody spouse,” because of the circumcision.

So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

27 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” And he went directly to meet him on the mountain of God, and he kissed him.

And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses explained to Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs which he had commanded.

And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

29 And they arrived at the same time, and they gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses. And he accomplished the signs in the sight of the people,

And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people.

31 and the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had looked with favor upon their affliction. And falling prostrate, they worshiped.

And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.